ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Eaga Partnership Initiative

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many households in Birkenhead have had central heating installed under the Eaga Partnership Initiative.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 17 March 2006
	The number of households that have received central heating measures from the warm front scheme in Birkenhead each year since June 2000 are as follows:
	
		
			  Households 
		
		
			 2000–01(1) 46 
			 2001–02 152 
			 2002–03 90 
			 2003–04 78 
			 2004–05 57 
			 2005–06(2) 44 
			 Total 467 
		
	
	(1)From June 2000.
	(2)To date.

Varietal Genetic Use Restriction Technologies

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which (a) Government and (b) non-governmental agencies have a role in assessing the potential socio-economic impacts of varietal genetic use restriction technologies.

Elliot Morley: Under article 31 of the Directive 2001/18/EC the Commission is bound to provide every three years a report which includes, among other things, an assessment of the socio-economic implications of deliberate releases and placing on the market of GMOs.
	The criteria for the assessment of a genetically modified organism (GMO) incorporating varietal genetic use restriction technologies set out in the directive does not include a requirement to assess the socio-economic impacts.
	Socio-economic impacts and GM technology is a factor developing countries can take into account under the Cartagena Protocol which the UK has ratified.

Varietal Genetic Use Restriction Technologies

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with whom (a) she, (b) Ministers in her Department and (c) officials in her Department have held discussions on varietal genetic use restriction technologies since 1 January 2005; and when those meetings were held.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 17 March 2006
	Varietal genetic use restriction technologies were discussed recently at a meeting which my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Rural Affairs, Landscape and Biodiversity held with a number of representatives of non-governmental organisations on 15 February 2006. This was followed up by a meeting with officials on 6 March.
	These technologies are a subject which has arisen several times in meetings attended both by Ministers and officials of this Department since 1 January 2005, mostly as part of a general discussion on GMOs. Unfortunately, however, no records are kept which would allow the compilation of a definitive and comprehensive list of all the meetings attended by Ministers and officials at which these technologies were discussed since that date. None involved outside parties.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Abortion and Poverty

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department gave to the International Planned Parenthood Federation to produce the booklet 'Death and Denial: Unsafe Abortion and Poverty'.

Gareth Thomas: DFID did not make a specific grant to the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) for the production of the booklet Death and Denial: Unsafe Abortion and Poverty". We did however ask the IPPF to produce this report when agreeing our overall core funding to the organisation, to help raise awareness of the consequences of unsafe abortion. DFID's core funding to support the work of the IPPF in 2006 is £7.5 million.

Abortion and Poverty

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the evidential basis is for the statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the foreword to the booklet 'Death and Denial: Unsafe Abortion and Poverty', that each year 19 million women have no other choice than to have an unsafe abortion; if he will place in the Library the documentation which supports the statement; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that of the 46 million women who have an abortion each year, 19 million are estimated to be unsafe. That is, carried out by persons lacking the necessary skills or in an environment lacking the minimum medical standards. They do so because they do not wish to go through with an un-intended or unwanted pregnancy. One important reason for this is that many millions of women still lack access to reproductive health and family planning services, and thus have no choice about when and if to have children.
	Further information is available on the WHO website
	http://www.who.int/reproductive-health/unsafe_abortion/

Asian Tsunami

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of funds given by his Department to assist with the recovery from the Asian tsunami have been (a) allocated and (b) spent; and what plans his Department has for the unspent funds.

Gareth Thomas: Following the tsunami, the Government allocated £75 million to meet the immediate needs of those affected. To date £68 million has been disbursed through United Nations agencies, the Red Cross Movement and non-governmental organisations such as Oxfam, Save the Children Fund, CAFOD and Help the Aged. The balance will be allocated for disaster risk reduction and early warning initiatives across the affected region. We are currently looking at proposals for programmes to utilise these funds.
	The complexity of the response and the changing situation on the ground meant that some organisations have not been able to spend funds according to their original timetable. However, where people still need help, DFID has allowed some partner organisations to extend the end date of relief programmes using DFID funds if we decide that the programmes remain appropriate.
	In circumstance where DFID judges that extending the life of a programme would be of little value to those affected by the tsunami and is not an appropriate use of UK funds we will request that the balance of the DFID grant be returned. The UK will not provide financing in advance of need as this money could be usefully spent reducing poverty and saving lives in other parts of the world.
	The Disasters Emergency Committee website (www.tsunami.dec.org.uk). contains details and an evaluation of how the major UK non-governmental organisations (NGO)s utilised the funds they were given.
	DFID will allocate £65 million to meet longer term reconstruction needs. From this amount, £60 million has been committed to Indonesia. Of the £60 million, £13.5 million has already been allocated. Some of the funds have been put into a multi-donor trust fund which provides grants for a range of reconstruction activities including housing, infrastructure, and land titling projects. Additional funds have been used to support the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)'s livelihoods programme and to support a range of smaller technical assistance packages. Of this, £13.5 million, we estimate that £12.5 million has actually been spent. It is difficult to be precise about how much of the UK funds have been spent from the Multi-Donor Fund because it is a pooled funding mechanism. The Multi-Donor Fund estimates that it will have spent $102 million of the $228 million received from donors by the end of March.
	We are looking to spend the remaining funds over the next 2 to 3 years. Our immediate priority is to support urgent livelihoods activities and other initiatives which will help to build a sustainable peace in Aceh. We have pledged an additional £20 million to the Multi-Donor Fund, but we will look to allocate this and any remaining funds as needs are identified.
	The remaining £5 million balance of the £65 million has been allocated to India and Sri Lanka. The recovery programme in Sri Lanka is fully financed, but DFID allocated £2 million to help speed up implementation of reconstruction programmes and to ensure equitable distribution of assistance. To date, £1.3 million has beenspent on technical assistance and expertise. The remaining funds will be spent in 2006–07 to help people affected by the tsunami re-establish their livelihoods.
	In India technical assistance worth £3 million has been provided to help ensure effective, transparent and equitable programming of relief.

Avian Influenza

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance is being provided to (a) Nigeria, (b) Niger, (c) Cameroon and (d) other African countries to help combat the spread of avian influenza.

Gareth Thomas: The threat of avian influenza is of global significance and requires a co-ordinated global response. On 18 January, at the International Pledging Conference on Avian and Human Pandemic Influenza in Beijing, the UK pledged £20 million to help achieve this. We also expressed our willingness to consider requests from developing country Governments to reprioritise DFID country programmes to finance work on influenza. We will ensure that UK support is co-ordinated with the efforts of individual countries and other international donors.
	In Nigeria, DFID has committed £800,000 to combat the spread of the disease. Of this, £250,000 was used for the immediate purchase of 15,000 personal protection kits for UN Agencies to distribute through the Nigerian Ministries of Agriculture and Health to front-line workers and those involved in surveillance of the disease. The remaining £550,000 has been given as a grant to the World Health Organisation (WHO) which is leading the international response to avian influenza. The WHO will use the funds to support the Government of Nigeria at both federal and state level in reducing the opportunity of human infection, ensuring that the surveillance systems are in place and active, and undertaking assessment of laboratory facilities.
	The UK has not provided direct assistance to Niger or Cameroon to tackle avian influenza. We do not have major programmes in either country, though we do support forestry reform in Cameroon and have provided significant humanitarian assistance to Niger. We are closely monitoring the situation in both countries.
	Through our ongoing involvement in Africa, DFID is keeping abreast of countries' own plans and the activities of international organisations and donors relating to avian flu. We are in regular discussion with African countries about possible UK support to help develop and implement their influenza strategies. For example, DFID has committed £1 million to prevention and control of the disease in Ethiopia. £700,000 will be used for early detection, prevention and control and £300,000 will be used to establish a national focal point to address the threat posed by a human influenza pandemic.

Burma

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the total UK aid allocation for Burma was in each of the last five years; and how much of the allocated budget was spent.

Gareth Thomas: Over the last five years the Department of International Development (DFID) allocation for assistance and spend in to Burma has been:
	
		£ million
		
			  Allocation Spend 
		
		
			 2000–01 (3)— 1.39 
			 2001–02 (3)— 2.27 
			 2002–03 6.16 7.02 
			 2003–04 4 3.72 
			 2004–05 6 6.07 
		
	
	(3)no budget
	Note:
	In 2000–01 and 2001–02 there was no set budget—expenditure was in response to appeals for humanitarian assistance.
	The significant difference between allocation and spend which occurred in 2002–03 is due to the fact that DFID made faster than expected progress in the development of a programme in response to the challenge of HIV and AIDS in Burma.

Flooding (Mozambique)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with (a) members and (b) representatives of the Government of Mozambique concerning flood-preparedness levels around the Zambesi river; what assistance has been (i) requested, (ii) pledged and (iii)delivered to respond to a flooding of the Zambesi river; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: DFID maintains close contact with Mozambique's National Institute for the Management of Natural Disasters (INGC) which is responsible for managing Mozambique's preparation for and response to flooding. We have already responded by providing £40,000 of funding to Save the Children UK to supply emergency kits to some of the people who were displaced by the floods earlier this year. We will continue to monitor the situation through the INGC to assess whether further funding is needed.

Flooding (Mozambique)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of (a) the humanitarian impact of flooding in the Zambesi and Sofala provinces in Mozambique and (b) the likelihood of such flooding occurring in 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: DFID maintains close contact with Mozambique's National Institute for the Management of Natural Disasters (INGC) which is responsible for monitoring the situation in co-ordination with the National Water Department (DNA). Flooding has been most intensive in the lower Zambezi and Pungue river basins. Nonetheless, the DNA is optimistic that any further large scale flooding on the Zambezi will be avoided, because the amount of water entering the lake behind the Cahora Bassa dam is falling, thus reducing the need, to increase discharges into the lower river. Based on historic patterns the likelihood of more extensive flooding will diminish from the end of March.

Guatemala

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the recovery process in Guatemala following Hurricane Stan in 2005.

Gareth Thomas: The relief effort in Guatemala in the aftermath of Hurricane Stan is coordinated by the Guatemalan Government Agency, CONRED (Co-ordinadora Nacional para la Reduccion de Desastres) and involves a wide number of Government Departments, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), donors and local community groups. Rehabilitation programmes are planned for periods of six-12 months and activities have begun for many of the 1,063 affected communities.
	DFID provided £253,000 to the emergency in Guatemala and El Salvador, channelled through Plan International UK and CARE International UK. £172,000 of this is benefiting Guatemala. This is in addition to £690,000 provided as the UK share of European Commission assistance following the disaster. DFID has kept informed of the recovery process through the reports of Plan International and CARE International, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and through contact with the Government of Guatemala.
	The most affected parts of the country were the south coast and the western region where 59,000 people were displaced. Since October 2005, at least 12,310 families have been given temporary familial shelters or have been reintegrated into their communities. The Guatemalan Government have undertaken extensive surveys of potential new land for these communities to minimise future risk of exposure to floods and mud-slides.
	A key reconstruction priority was ensuring access to safe reliable water, and much of the rehabilitation effort has focused on this. Waterborne disease remains a risk for affected communities and the Ministry of Health have been supported in the provision of transportation services, basic health kits including mosquito nets, and training for communities in health and nutrition awareness. Overall progress in reconstructing sanitation units has been slow, which in many cases has only reached 10 per cent. of target so far. However, some areas have benefited from intensive NGO efforts to ensure safe water, with as many as 10,000 water filters being provided and treatment plants in three municipalities. The installation of systems has been undertaken in close conjunction with local government authorities and communities to ensure sustainability.
	Children have been badly affected by the hurricane the most, and those who remain in shelters will continue to receive psychological and educational support from rehabilitation partners. A continuing concern is the restoration of the livelihoods of the communities affected, either through agricultural support to those who returned to their homes, or through income generation opportunities for those who remain in shelters or have been relocated. DFID and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) have been in discussions with the Guatemalan Government to assess how those worst affected by Stan can begin to rehabilitate their livelihoods.

Indonesia

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid has been given to Indonesia through (a) the Global Opportunities Fund, (b) the Global Conflict Prevention Fund and (c) other sources of Government funds in the last 10 years; and whether conditions relating to (i) the promotion of religious tolerance, (ii) equality under the law and (iii)openness and transparency of government were attached to that funding.

Gareth Thomas: Assistance has been provided as follows:
	The Global Opportunities Fund (GOF) was set up in 2003–04. Since then, the UK has approved over £2.4 million bilateral expenditure to Indonesia for ongoing projects engaging with the Islamic World and Counter Terrorism assistance.
	The Global Conflict Prevention Pool, which has been operational since 2001–02 has contributed a total of £3.7 million to conflict prevention related project work in Indonesia.
	
		Bilateral aid to Indonesia over the last 10 years
		
			  Amount (£ million) 
		
		
			 1995–06 15.2 
			 1996–97 38.5 
			 1997–98 48.7 
			 1998–99 25.4 
			 1999–2000 58.5 
			 2000–01 28.2 
			 2001–02 18.1 
			 2002–03 42.6 
			 2003–04 17.4 
			 2004–05 25.5 
		
	
	Source:
	Statistics on International Development 2000–01 to 2004–05
	The figures are for aid classified as official development assistance by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) and the majority comes from the aid budget.
	Aid is allocated for specific purposes, including equality and governance. Individual aid allocations have not been tied to specific conditions on religious tolerance, equality under the law and openness and transparency of government. Such issues are taken into account in considering the case for aid, alongside other criteria.

Palestine

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what proportion of UK funding for the Palestinian Territories in 2005–06 is intended for (a) humanitarian relief and (b) budgetary support; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether UK funding for the Palestinian Territories makes a distinction between budgetary aid and humanitarian aid; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The UK defines humanitarian assistance as that which is intended to 'save lives', alleviate suffering and maintain human dignity during and in the aftermath of man-made crises and natural disasters. This is distinct from budgetary aid which is the provision of funds directly to a partner government's central exchequer in support of that Government's programmes. During the current financial year 2005–06 we expect to provide a total of £15 million for humanitarian assistance to Palestinian refugees, £10 million for budgetary support to the Palestinian Authority and around £4.58 million for other development projects to assist the Palestinians, including technical assistance.
	This is a period of considerable political change following the recent elections where Hamas won an absolute majority. We are currently reviewing how best to support poverty reduction for the Palestinians in this context.

Palestine

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the contribution by the UK was to the World Bank Public Financial Management Reform Trust Funds' emergency $42 million release of funds to the Palestinian Authority in March; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The UK released £5 million in March, to the World Bank's Reform Trust fund for transfer to the Palestinian Authority (PA). The UK's share of the contribution made by the European Community to the Reform Trust Fund is equivalent to a further £2.3 million.
	Following the Palestinian elections, the PA is being run by an interim administration. This caretaker government needs money to provide essential services such as health and education and to pay salaries. The Quartet, comprising the United States, European Union, United Nations and Russia, agreed on 30 January 2006 to take measures to stabilise the caretaker government's finances. The Palestinian Ministry of Finance has assured Trust Fund donors that all of the money released in March will be spent before any new government takes over.

Philippines

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of funding to the Philippines in 2006–07 will be directed at measures for better government.

Gareth Thomas: DFID does not maintain a bilateral programme to the Philippines, however we do finance a number of small programmes through non-governmental organisations (NGOs). In the 2006–07 financial year, we expect to spend some £109,000 through two NGO programmes. One will work with local government to help prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS, the other works with minority groups to help them articulate and secure their rights.

Slavery

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of a possible link between poverty and contemporary forms of slavery; and what steps he is taking to support poverty reduction strategies in countries where such practices are used.

Gareth Thomas: Last year in its Global Report the International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimated that around the world, at least 12.3 million people were victims of forced labour. The report makes clear that poverty and social exclusion are at the root of much contemporary slavery and forced labour.
	The Government supports long-term programmes to help tackle the poverty and social injustice which makes people vulnerable to exploitation. It also supports programmes that specifically target forced labour. DFID has provided over £2 million to support the ILO's Special Action Programme on Forced Labour and an additional £2 million for the ILO's regional programmes in West Africa and South East Asia. DFID has also committed almost £14 million to ILO and non-governmental organisation programmes in South East Asia to stop the trafficking of children for forced labour.

Small Firms

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what definition the Department uses of a small firm.

Gareth Thomas: There is no universal definition of a small firm. While several criteria can be used to define a small firm, including annual value of sales turnover and value of capital assets, the most common defining feature is number of workers employed. DFID regards small" firms to be those with 1 to 50 employees. Firms employing over 50 employees are considered medium-sized. In international development usage, small firms with less than 10 employees are generally termed micro enterprises". Modern small firms differ from micro enterprises in several important respects, namely:
	They are generally full-time, permanent and legally registered businesses
	They use paid, rather than family labour
	They operate from dedicated premises separate from the household
	They possess investments in fixed assets
	They may use modern technology

Street Children

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department provides to help tackle the poverty of street children in (a) Honduras and (b) Guatemala.

Gareth Thomas: Street Children in Latin America are victims of deprivation and exclusion. Overwhelming poverty, unemployment and social dislocation leave many children with no option other than to leave home to find work and by-pass the education system. Street children are excluded from accessing key services such as health and education. They are powerless and lack supportive kinship and social networks. Many street children suffer and are at greater risk from organised violence, trafficking, sexual exploitation and HIV/AIDs.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) is assisting street children in Honduras and Guatemala through our support to the international financial institutions, the European Commission and our civil society partners. DFID is supporting the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDE) to strengthen their programmes to tackle the widespread poverty, inequality and social exclusion that forces many children on to the street. DFID assistance through the IDB has included $145,000 to build the capacity of Guatemalan non-governmental organisations and public sector officials to reintegrate street children backinto society. Our contributions to the European Commission are also assisting the Commission to implement a social cohesion programme in Latin America.
	DFID contributed £1 million in 2004 to support participation of both civil society and the Government of Honduras in developing their poverty reduction strategy. The Strategy includes an analysis of child poverty and the plight of street children and commits the Government to reduce child labour, improve the quality and equity of education and improve child health coverage. DFID support to the Save the Children Fund (SCF) through a global agreement has also assisted the SCF Honduras office to work on youth justice initiatives.

Sudan

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the impact of the recent restrictions on the operation of humanitarian organisations in Western Darfur.

Hilary Benn: Up to now the impact of restrictions on the operation of humanitarian organisations in West Darfur has been minimal, despite the reduction in the number of international staff working in the region. This has been due to the agencies themselves anticipating the deteriorating security situation last January, and pre-positioning relief materials. This has enabled basic water, food and medical supplies to be provided through national staff and local non-governmental organisations (NGO)s.
	However, security restrictions mean that the UN and NGOs can undertake only emergency life saving interventions in some parts of West Darfur. This, and the reduction in staff numbers, means that the international community is now less able to respond to a major challenge such as an outbreak of disease or a further large-scale displacement of the population. Reduced staff numbers mean that the UN's ability to afford protection of civilians is also more limited.
	We remain closely engaged with NGOs and the UN and stand ready to provide additional assistance if required.

Uganda

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of girls attended primary school in (a) Uganda and (b) northern Uganda in the last year for which figures are available.

Gareth Thomas: At present, data is not available on primary school enrolment rates by gender; however, the Government of Uganda does measure the ratio of girls to boys attending primary school. The most recent information suggests that the ratio of girls to boys in primary education in the country as a whole is 99 per cent., highlighting that the number of girls in primary school is very nearly equal to the number of boys. This information is not broken down specifically for northern Uganda because of the problems that population movement and security have created for the collection of data.

Uganda

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of children had access to primary schooling in (a) Uganda and (b) northern Uganda in the last year for which figures are available.

Gareth Thomas: The Government of Uganda measures net primary school attendance, rather than access to primary schooling. Net primary attendance refers to the proportion of children of primary school age who enrol in primary school. According to the 2002–03 National Household Survey (UNHS) net primary school attendance in Uganda is 86 per cent, and 77 per cent. in northern Uganda.
	Northern Uganda is defined as the five main conflict affected districts of Gulu, Kitgum, Pader, Apac and Lira. However, the 2002–03 UNHS did not cover the Pader district, and some parts of the Kitgum and Gulu districts, due to security problems.

Uganda

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the rate of HIV/AIDS infection was in (a) Uganda and (b) northern Uganda in the last period for which figures are available.

Gareth Thomas: According to the 2004–05 HIV/AIDS survey, the adult HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in Uganda is 6.4 per cent., and 8.3 per cent. in northern Uganda. Northern Uganda is defined as the five main conflict affected districts of Gulu, Kitgum, Pader, Apac and Lira.

United Nations Population Fund

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the Answer of 1 March 2006, Official Report, column 713W, on the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), if he will list other donors who (a) announced support for UNFPA and (b) signalled an increase in their contribution to UNFPA; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: Donors who announced support for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in 2002, when the US withdrew funding were, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Viet Nam, the UK, Finland, Ireland, Japan, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Norway, Canada, Denmark, Germany and Sweden.
	Additional contributions of $18.8 million were received to during the course of 2002. These contributions were received from nine major donors namely, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and the UK, who increased its contribution from $15 million in 2001–02 to $18 million in 2002–03 and 2003–04. The UK is now providing £80 million core support over its four year funding framework from 2004–05 to 2007–08.
	In 2003, six major donors pledged additional increases; Canada, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.
	In DFIDS's view, the UNFPA's activities are in strict conformity with the unanimously adopted Programme of Action of the International Committee on Population and Development (ICPD).

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Crimes (Service Personnel)

Ben Wallace: To ask the Solicitor-General how many cases relating to crimes committed by soldiers on active service are under consideration by his department.

Mike O'Brien: The decision to prosecute is on for the prosecuting authorities who may consult the law officers.
	There are four cases relating to crimes committed by soldiers on active service, where my department has been consulted.
	In three of those cases, the Army Prosecuting Authority has directed that there should be a court martial and these will take place in the coming months.
	The Crown Prosecution Service is considering the other case.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Alcohol Sales Licences

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many licences for the sale of alcohol over 24 hours have been granted in Tamworth in the last 12 months.

Alun Michael: Tamworth borough council licensing department confirms that there has been one application for a 24 hour alcohol sales licence in the last 12 months. This was from a supermarket and was successful.

Arms Exports (Iraq)

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether ministerial approval was sought for the export of 20,878 semi-automatic pistols to Iraq referred to in the Second Quarterly Report on Strategic Export Controls 2004."

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 17 March 2006
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is responsible for issuing all export licences. The DTI Export Control Organisation carries out this function on his behalf. Information on whether ministerial approval was specifically sought in relation to individual licensing decisions is exempt from disclosure as its release would prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs.

Arms Exports (Iraq)

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the 20,878 semi-automatic pistols exported to Iraq referred to in the Second Quarterly Strategic Export Controls Report 2004 carried serial numbers.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 17 March 2006
	Yes. Each of the pistols in question was embossed with a unique reference number.

Arms Exports (Iraq)

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the (a) Ministry of Defence and (b) Foreign and Commonwealth Office were consulted in respect of the semi-automatic pistols exported to Iraq referred to in the Second Quarterly Report of the Strategic Export Controls Report 2006.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 17 March 2006
	I refer the hon. Member to the statement made on 22 July 2004, Official Report, column 81WS by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

Arms Exports (Iraq)

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether his Department has received evidence that the parties associated with the export to Iraq of semi-automatic pistols referred to in the Second Quarterly Strategic Export Controls Report 2004 made (a) false, (b) misleading and (c) incomplete statements concerning the final use and destination of the weapons.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 17 March 2006
	No.

Clearskies Programme

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cut-off date was for (a) household and (b) community applications for the Clearskies Programme.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 20 March 2006
	The last round for community applications closed on Friday 4 November 2005. Industry and key stakeholders were consulted about this.
	Applications for householders closed on Friday 3 March 2006, a period of notice about the closure was given on the programme website.
	The new low carbon buildings programme will supersede Clearskies in April this year, and will continue to make grants available for the installation of renewable technologies.

Domestic Energy

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what programmes have been announced by the six major domestic energy supply companies to protect vulnerable customers from the impact of rising energy prices; and how many customers have been signed up for such programmes.

Malcolm Wicks: Each of the major domestic energy suppliers offer a number of programmes that assist vulnerable customers in various ways. Although information from individual suppliers about take-up of particular schemes is commercially confidential, an annex to the Government's UK Fuel Poverty Strategy Fourth Annual Progress Report", to be published late this year, will include information about the overall impacts of company schemes in 2004 and 2005.

Domestic Energy

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the proportion of household disposable income spent on energy bills by those households earning (a) the minimum wage, (b) between the minimum wage and average income and (c) above average income in the last period for which figures are available; what assessment he has made of the likely effect on those figures of gas price increases planned in March; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the proportion of household disposable income spent on energy bills by those in the (a) bottom 20 per cent. and (b) top 20 per cent. of earners in (i) England, (ii) Wales and (iii)Scotland; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what proportion of household disposable income was spent on energy bills in households in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland in the last period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of household disposable income that will be spent on energy bills for households in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland after the gas price increases announced by energy companies in March 2006 come into effect; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of household disposable income that will be spent on energy bills by (a) the bottom 20 per cent. of earners and (b) the top 20 per cent. of earners in (i)England, (ii) Wales and (iii) Scotland after the gas price increases announced by energy companies in March 2006 come into effect; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Data on the proportion of household disposable income spent on energy bills is available from the Expenditure and Food Survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics. The most recent data containing full income information corresponds to 2003–04.
	It is not possible to make an assessment of the impact of these increases on households earning the minimum wage, due to the different working patterns of those individuals within this group. We do, however, have data on the proportion of household disposable income spent on energy bills by quintile and country for 2003–04 and overall by country, which is shown in the table. The proportion of income spent by the middle quintile may be thought of as a measure of average proportional spend:
	
		
			  Bottom 20 per cent. of incomes Middle 20 per cent. of incomes Top 20 per cent. of incomes All households 
		
		
			 Great Britain 5.9 2.9 1.6 2.6 
			 England 5.8 2.8 1.5 2.5 
			 Scotland 5.5 3.1 2.2 3.0 
			 Wales 5.9 3.6 1.8 3.1 
		
	
	It is not possible to work out the impact of recent energy price rises on these statistics. These price increases are likely to have increased the proportion of income spent on fuel, though. Work on the best way to tackle the impact of the price rises for those in fuel poverty in the light of rising energy prices is being taken forward in the context of the Energy Review.

Domestic Energy

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the proportion of household disposable income spent by pensioner households in receipt of pension credit on energy bills in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland in the latest period for which figures are available; what assessment he has made of the likely effect of proposed increases to gas prices in March 2006 on the proportion of such income spent on energy bills; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Data on the proportion of household disposable income spent on energy bills is available from the Expenditure and Food Survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics. The most recent data containing full income information corresponds to 2003–04.
	This data shows that the proportion of disposable household income spent by pensioner households in receipt of pension credit in 2003–04 on energy bills in Great Britain is 4.5 per cent. It is not possible to break this figure down further by country because of small sample sizes. Given that the pension credit was only introduced towards the end of this survey period (in October 2003), this statistic should be treated with caution, as the profile of recipients may have changed since the period immediately following the introduction of the benefit.

Domestic Energy

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what forecast his Department has made of the average annual energy bill per household in (a) Wales, (b) England and (c) Scotland after the gas price increases announced by energy companies in March 2006 came into effect; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Following the price increases announced by some energy suppliers in February and March 2006, energywatch have estimated the typical standard credit energy bill in Great Britain will be £539 for gas and £349 for electricity, giving a total bill of £888. Separate data for Wales, England and Scotland is not available.
	Actual bills will be affected by a number of factors, including the number of customers switching supplier and/or payment methods, and future tariff changes from the energy suppliers.

Domestic Energy

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the proportion of household disposable income spent on energy bills by those in receipt of benefits in Wales in the last period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of household disposable income that will be spent on energy bills by those in receipt of benefits in Wales after the gas price increases announced by energy companies in March 2006 come into effect; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Data on the proportion of household disposable income spent on energy bills is available from the Expenditure and Food Survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics. The most recent data containing full income information corresponds to 2003–04.
	The proportion of household disposable income spent on energy bills by those in receipt of income-related benefits in Wales represented 4.0 per cent.
	It is not possible to work out the impact of recent energy price rises on this statistic. These price increases are likely to have increased the proportion of income spent on fuel, though. Work on the best way to tackle the impact of the price rises for those in fuel poverty in the light of rising energy prices is being taken forward in the context of the Energy Review.

Domestic Energy

Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the cost to UK consumers of the pace of energy market liberalisation in Europe; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: UK energy prices are influenced by a number of complex, inter-related factors and it is not possible to quantify precisely the impact of EU liberalisation. However we estimate that a properly functioning competitive EU gas market could have saved UK consumers in the order of £5 billion in the calendar year 2005 alone.
	Significant obstacles to the development of a single energy market remain and we welcome the reviews the Commission is currently undertaking into the functioning of the sector.
	While final conclusions are not due until the end of the year, the Commission recently reported in its sectoral inquiry of energy that it has already identified a number of areas of concern, including concentration and announced that it would launch anti-trust investigations shortly.
	When the Commission's reviews are completed, we expect it to propose measures that will enable the rapid development of a functioning internal market.

Domestic Energy

Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many gas and electricity suppliers have ceased trading since September 2005; how many domestic and commercial sites each supplied at the point at which they ceased trading; what assessment he has made of the impact of these closures on retail market competition; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Since September 2005 Ofgem has revoked the supply licence and appointed a Supplier of Last Resort for five companies, these are summarised as follows:
	
		
			 Company Appointed SoLR Date of Appointment Fuel Non-domestic Supply points Domestic Supply points 
		
		
			 The Team Group of Companies npower 2 December 2005 Gas 233 14 
			 The Team Group of Companies npower 2 December 2005 Electricity 975 20 
			 Eledor Limited npower 19 December 2005 Gas 499 0 
			 Reepham British Gas 20 December 2005 Electricity 244 0 
			 Utility Link London Energy 19 January 2006 Electricity 4,433 12,066 
			 Zest 4 British Gas 4 February 2006 Electricity 0 8,444 
			 Total14,828 12,100 
		
	
	The total number of customers affected is very smallcompared to the size of the retail market (over 46msupply points). Based on current evidence, Ofgem does not believe that the exit of the firms listed in the table has undermined the health of retail competition.

Madagascar

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the value of the UK's (a) trade with and (b) investment in Madagascar was in the last year for which figures are available.

Ian Pearson: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) UK exports to Madagascar in 2005 were £6.58 million; UK imports from Madagascar in 2005 were £15.47 million.
	(b) The level of UK investment in Madagascar is not disclosable as a single UK company's investment accounts for almost the total amount.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what timetables have been agreed with each foreign customer for Sellafield reprocessing facilities for the return to countries of origin of the reprocessed uranium arising from treatment of spent nuclear fuel; and what role the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority will play in organising the return of such material.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 20 March 2006
	There is an active programme of exports in place to return reprocessed uranium to customers. This results in a number of shipments each year being dispatched from Sellafield.
	Some customers choose to make use of the interim storage service that British Nuclear Group currently offer. Where this option is chosen the uranium is stored along with the UK uranium stockpile which has resulted from the reprocessing of UK fuel through Magnox and THORP. Revenue from these contracts off-sets the cost of storing the UK materials.
	In all but a small number of early overseas reprocessing contracts the uranium arising from reprocessing is owned by the customer. The current NDA draft strategy is that all uranium owned by overseas customers will be returned within 10 years.

Operating and Financial Reviews

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of (a) the effect of the decision to abolish mandatory operating and financial reviews (OFRs) on investor confidence and (b) the extent to which OFRs encourage investment in the shares of UK companies.

Alun Michael: Following the repeal of the mandatory requirement for an operating and financial review, the Government invited views on narrative business reporting requirements for the future, with a closing date for responses of 24 March. This consultation provides an opportunity for all interested parties, including companies and investors, to express their views on all options and relevant issues. The Government will announce its conclusions following the consultation in due course and bring forward amendments as appropriate in the Company Law Reform Bill currently before Parliament.

Sellafield

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made with plans to dismantle the chimney-top filter of the Windscale I military reactor at Sellafield; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: We have been informed by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority that to date the following work has been completed with respect to thedismantling of the Pile 1 chimney at Sellafield (B6):
	Decontamination of the Filter Gallery, removal of filters, removals of lining material from the Filter/Diffuser section, and removal of insulation from the Concentrator section at the top of the chimney.
	Access has been created to the base of the chimney and lining material has been removed from the base and the main shaft. Decommissioning equipment (including Head Gear Platform, remote handling equipment, and access equipment) has been installed.
	Work on the chimney demolition is scheduled to continue until September 2015, at which point the stack on Pile 1 will have been taken down to the same level as the Pile 2 chimney, which is 5 metres above the main Pile cap. The dismantling of the upper filter sections of the chimney will be complete by 2012.

Small Firms

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what definition the Department uses of a small firm.

Alun Michael: The DTI uses definitions based on the European Commission Recommendation 6 May 2003 and the Companies Act 1985.
	The European Commission definition is based on headcount, turnover, balance sheet and independence criteria. A small firm is defined as having:
	Maximum headcount of 49 (employees and self-employed)
	Maximum annual turnover of €10 million (euros)
	Maximum annual balance sheet total of €10 million (euros)
	Maximum percentage owned by one or jointly owned by several enterprises not satisfying the same criteria 25 per cent.
	Use of the European Commission definition is voluntary and the UK has not implemented the EU definition for its own activities on a blanket basis. Further information on the European Commission definition can be found here:
	http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/enterprise_policy/sme__definition/index_en.htm
	The Companies Act 1985 only defines small firms for the purpose of certain exemptions from accounting and auditing requirements and is not applied universally. The definitions in the Companies Act 1985 are themselves set to the maximum allowed under European law. Amendments to the Companies Act 1985 came into force on 30 January 2004 and state that a company is 'small' if it satisfies at least two of the following criteria:
	A turnover of not more than £5.6 million
	A balance sheet total of not more than £2.8 million
	Not more than 50 employees
	Further information on the Companies Act 1985 definition can be found here:
	http://www.dti.gov.uk/cld/audit.htm
	In addition, there may be other occasions where an alternative definition of a small firm may be appropriate. For example, the DTI's Small Firms Loan Guarantee" is open to young firms with a turnover up to £5.6 million to concentrate on those most likely to experience difficulties raising debt finance and to simplify eligibility criteria.
	The DTI definition of a small firm for official statistics publications, such as the SME Statistics for the UK, is a business having between 0 and 49 employees. DTI figures on the number of businesses by size are available at www.sbs.gov.uk/smes

Trade (Israel and Palestine)

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department is taking to increase trade between the UK and (a) Israel and (b) the Palestinian territories.

Ian Pearson: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) provides a broad range of support services to British companies wishing to trade with or invest in Israel and the Palestinian territories, through commercial teams based in the UK and in both the British Embassy in Tel Aviv and the British Consulate General in Jerusalem.
	UKTI support in Israel focuses, in particular, on business opportunities in high technology sectors, including Biotechnology, Information and Communication Technology, the Environmental Industries and Financial and Legal Services. Recent Initiatives in the Palestinian territories have focused on the Education and Training sector, Infrastructure and Aid-funded business. UKTI funded a scoping mission to the West Bank and Gaza by the British Consultants and Construction Bureau in July 2005 and Palestinian participation in Education and Construction trade fairs in September and November 2005.
	UKTI services to all markets are available through the UKTI Portal: www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk

Trade Balance

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry with which countries the UK experienced a trade balance deterioration over the last three years.

Ian Pearson: The most up-to-date trade statistics available are in The Pink Book 2005, published by the Office for National Statistics. According to this, the countries with which the UK experienced a trade balance deterioration (for goods and services) in each of the two most recent years (2003 and 2004) are:
	Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Norway, Romania, Turkey, Brazil, Venezuela, other Central American countries, China, Israel, Singapore and South Africa.
	The countries with which the UK experienced a trade balance improvement (for goods and services) in each of the two most recent years (2003 and 2004) are:
	Finland, France, Ireland, Switzerland, Argentina, United States of America, other Near & Middle Eastern Countries, Indonesia, Pakistan, Philippines, Australia and New Zealand.
	It should be noted that the list of countries in The Pink Book in not exhaustive.
	Data for 2005 will be available in The Pink Book 2006, due summer 2006.

Wind Farms

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what resources his Department is allocating to the review of section 36 consents for large offshore wind farms.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department's Electricity Development Consents Directorate has two dedicated case officers dealing with section 36 consents for renewable energy projects, including wind farms. Other staff also contribute toward section 36 work.
	In assessing the applications, the EDC team can draw upon expert advice from their colleagues in the Department's Offshore Environment and Decommissioning Directorate. Advice is also provided by a range of consultees, including statutory bodies such as English Nature, the Countryside Council for Wales and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. DTI works closely with Defra and the Crown Estate who have related responsibilities for offshore wind farms.
	The Department has established a Research Advisory Group (RAG), which brings together representatives from a number of Government Departments to co-ordinate the priorities for research work into the potential impact of offshore renewables projects. The results of this work will be available to Ministers in considering requests for consent from wind farm developers. The research is funded from a £2.5 million budget held by the DTI, but this money is supplemented by contributions from other parties, for example, other Government Departments and the wind farm industry.
	DTI also facilitates a number of stakeholder groups which bring together the offshore renewable energy sector with environmental, navigation and fishing interests. These groups exist to consider how wind farms can be successfully integrated into the marine environment and provide evidence and analysis relevant to consent decisions.

World Trade Organisation (Emergency Summit)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of (a) the outcome of the recent emergency summit of the World Trade Organisation in London and (b) its likely implications for developing countries.

Ian Pearson: Talks at the G6 Ministers (EU, US, Brazil, India, Australia and Japan) meeting in London on 11 March were intense, but unfortunately delivered no major progress. As reflected in my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's joint statement with President Lula, the UK remains committed to an ambitious, balanced, pro-development outcome to the round. We believe that all the main parties in the talks need to take bold steps to go beyond established negotiating positions to improve their offers on agricultural market access and domestic support, NAMA and services. Those offers must also take account of the needs of developing countries by delivering improved market access in both agricultural and non-agricultural goods that is comparably high, but in a balanced and proportionate manner, consistent with the principle of special and differential treatment.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

2012 Olympics

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether any contaminated land has been designated in the footprint of the area assigned to the 2012 London Olympics.

Richard Caborn: Initial site investigation and desk-top research work, undertaken in support of the Olympic and Legacy Planning Applications, identified some contamination within the footprint of the Olympic Park area. Much of the contaminated land is former Brownfield or derelict land that has been used for a variety of industrial activities. The appropriate decontamination work will take place before development of the site commences.

Libraries

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many libraries there are in England; and how many there were in 1997.

David Lammy: The number of static public libraries in England 1997–98 and 2004–05 (most recently available figures) was as follows:
	
		Static Libraries in England -- Hours per week
		
			  60+ 45–59 30–44 10–29 <10 Total 
		
		
			 1997–98 6 449 1,278 1,323 157 3213 
			 2004–05 69 727 1,139 1,106 96 3137 
		
	
	Sources:
	Public Library Statistics 2004–05 Actuals, published by the Chartered Institute for Public Finance & Accountancy (CIPFA) & LISU Annual Library Statistics 2005 (derived from CIPFA Actuals figures 1997–98 to 2004–05).

Local News Services

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the BBC's proposed ultra-local digital news services on local television stations.

James Purnell: This is primarily a matter for the BBC. The White Paper we published on 14 March 2006 makes clear that, under the new Charter and Agreement, any proposed new service or significant change to an existing service will need to be subjected to a Public Value Test (PVT), which will include an assessment of impact on the market. We welcome the BBC's commitment to ensuring that the proposal for local news services undergoes a PVT before a decision is made on whether to roll them out.

Prejudice and Intolerance Campaigns

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what departmental assistance has been offered to Glasgow Rangers and Glasgow Celtic football clubs to help in their campaigns against prejudice and intolerance in the last two years.

Richard Caborn: As you may know, sport is a devolved matter and the Scottish Executive, rather than the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, has responsibility for professional football in Scotland.
	However, I am pleased to hear that that the Scottish Football Association (SFA) has recently introduced a National Club Licensing Scheme which places a responsibility on Scottish Premier League (SPL) and Scottish Football League (SFL) clubs to demonstrate they operate clear policies against sectarianism. Sportscotland also actively promotes ethical participation in sport and has produced an Ethics in Sport document providing basic information for sports organisations on ethical issues with a specific section covering faith, religion and sport.
	My Department continues to support anti-racism campaigns such as Kick It Out and Show Racism the Red Card through funding for the Football Foundation which will receive £45 million in Government money between 2004 and 2007. We are also working closely with the Commission for Racial Equality who are developing race equality action plans with the Football Association, the Premier League, the Football League, the Professional Footballers Association and the Football Foundation.

CABINET OFFICE

Ministerial Code

Greg Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what recent representations he has received on the ministerial code; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: The 'ministerial code' is normally revised and reissued after a general election. The current version was reissued in July 2005. It took account of comments made by the Public Administration Select Committee and the Committee on Standards in Public Life.

Delivery Unit

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the work of the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit.

Jim Murphy: The Prime Minister's Delivery Unit aims to ensure the delivery of the Government's top public service priority outcomes. The unit works in partnership with Government Departments to deliver improvements in public services.

Delivery Unit

David Evennett: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the work of the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit.

Jim Murphy: The Prime Minister's Delivery Unit aims to ensure the delivery of the Government's top public service priority outcomes. The unit works in partnership with Government Departments to deliver improvements in public services.

Civil Service

Vera Baird: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on progress in increasing the number of women in the senior civil service.

Jim Murphy: The proportion of women in senior posts since 1998 has increased significantly. The civil service has met its target to double the proportion of women in top management posts (from 12.7 per cent. to 25.5 per cent. in 2005), but there is still more work to do. New and challenging targets have been set for 2008, underpinned by a Diversity 10 Point Plan; Delivering Diverse Civil Service".

Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill

Alan Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he will publish in full the responses to the consultation on the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill.

Jim Murphy: Responses to the consultation document, A Bill for Better Regulation", were published on the Better Regulation Executive website on 6 March 2006. Copies of the consultation responses, with the exception of the consultees who requested that their responses be kept confidential, can be found at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/regulation/bill/consultation_ responses.asp
	Copies have also been placed in the Library.

NORTHERN IRELAND

A26

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average number of vehicles per day using the A26 between the Lodge Road roundabout, Coleraine and the exit to Ballymena was in the last period for which figures are available.

Shaun Woodward: The chief executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
	Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin dated 21 March 2006
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding what the average number of vehicles per day using the A26 between the Lodge Road roundabout, Coleraine and the exit to Ballymena was in the last period for which figures are available.
	As this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service, I have been asked to reply.
	By way of background, I should explain that Roads Service collects traffic volume data by means of 270 automatic census points strategically located throughout the Northern Ireland road network. The information is recorded for one week in each quarter during the year and an annual average calculated. The results are published in Roads Service's annual Traffic and Travel Information Report, which presents the traffic volumes in a variety of formats for each site.
	The latest data on the average daily number of vehicles using the A26 between Coleraine and Ballymena is shown in the table below.
	
		
			 Location Average daily flow 
		
		
			 A26 Ballymena to Ballymoney—north of M2 19,220 
			 A26 Ballymena to Ballymoney—south-east of  Ballymoney 14,430 
			 A26 Ballymoney bypass 16,590 
			 A26 south-east of Coleraine ring road 15,770 
		
	
	I hope this information is helpful.

Civil Service (Meetings)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 27 February 2006, Official Report, column 362W, on civil service (meetings), on how many occasions the head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service has met in the last three years (a) the Presbyterian Church, (b) the Roman Catholic Church, (c) the Church of Ireland, (d) the Methodist Church, (e) the Baptist Union of Ireland, (f) the Free Presbyterian Church, (g) the Elim Pentecostal Church, (h) the Reformed Presbyterian Church, (i) the Congregational Union of Ireland, (j) the Evangelical Alliance, (k) ECONI and (l) the Caleb Foundation.

Angela Smith: The current Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service has formally met with representatives of the Presbyterian Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of Ireland and the Methodist Church on four occasions during 2005 and 2006 at a forum established at the request of those Churches. He has met with the Director of ECONI twice at his request. He also has had a wide range of meetings on specific projects and issues with individuals who would be members of these denominations but were not representing those denominations, almost always at their request. He will be happy to meet with any of the bodies listed, if asked by them.

Coastal Erosion

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  which statutory bodies in Northern Ireland are responsible for dealing with the consequences of coastal erosion;
	(2)  what statutory bodies in Northern Ireland are responsible for dealing with the consequences of coastal erosion.

Angela Smith: Northern Ireland does not have any legislation specifically related to coastal erosion. Essential works within the sphere of interest of various Government Departments continue to be dealt with under the Bateman Formula.
	The Bateman Formula is a historic inter-departmental agreement detailing the procedure for executing essential coastal protection works. Within this formula cost beneficial works, to protect essential infrastructure may be undertaken by the Department or Authority responsible for the asset at risk. DARD Rivers Agency undertakes essential cost beneficial works that do not fall within the functional area of other Departments or Agencies.

Concessionary Travel

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many senior citizens have taken up the offer of free travel on public transport in Northern Ireland since its inception.

Shaun Woodward: Translink has provided the following figures detailing the number of new Senior SmartPasses issued since their introduction in May 2002 and the number used at least once.
	Number of Senior SmartPasses issued: 192,197
	Number of Senior SmartPasses used at least once: 186,530

Cruelty to Animals

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many animals have had to be destroyed in Northern Ireland following acts of cruelty in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 allows an Officer of the Police Service for Northern Ireland (PSNI) to have an animal slaughtered without the permission of the owner, provided a veterinary surgeon certifies that it is so diseased or severely injured, or in such a physical condition, that it would be cruel to keep it alive. The PSNI does not retain statistical information on the number of animals destroyed.
	Records from 2001 to 2005 kept in respect of farm animals slaughtered by, or involving, officials from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development are detailed as follows. This information does not differentiate between animals that were destroyed as a result of cruelty and those that were destroyed in order to avoid unnecessary suffering.
	
		Animals destroyed by DARD in Northern Ireland under the Welfare of Animals (Northern Ireland) Act 1972
		
			  2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 Cattle 132 16 26 29 32 
			 Sheep 405 162 120 17 27 
			 Pigs — 2 — 1 1 
			 Total (4)537 180 146 47 60 
		
	
	(4)This figure includes animals that were destroyed during the foot and mouth disease outbreak when animal welfare issues arose as a result of movement restrictions and difficulties in getting feed to animals

Electoral Register

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of the adult population in Northern Ireland entitled to be on the electoral register is on that register.

David Hanson: The percentage of the adult population in Northern Ireland entitled to be on the electoral register is estimated to be 91.1 per cent. This is based on the projected voting age population mid-year estimate for 2004 of 1,272,838. The 1 March 2006 register has a total of 1,159,858 electors.

Employment Statistics

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the number of people who began self-employment in each Northern Ireland constituency in 2005.

David Hanson: Estimates from the autumn 2005 labour force survey (LFS) show that of the 122,000 self-employed persons in Northern Ireland, 6,000 1 had commenced their business in 2005. It is not possible to provide such estimates at constituency area level from the LFS.
	However for information, the following table details the number of offers of assistance provided through the Northern Ireland Start a Business Programme in each parliamentary constituency area during the calendar year 2005.
	1 This estimate is based on a small sample size and is therefore subject to a higher than usual degree of sampling variability. It should therefore be treated with caution.
	
		
			 Parliamentary constituency area Offers of assistance 
		
		
			 Belfast East 94 
			 Belfast North 104 
			 Belfast South 136 
			 Belfast West 105 
			 East Antrim 166 
			 East Londonderry 205 
			 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 281 
			 Foyle 301 
			 Lagan Valley 181 
			 Mid Ulster 299 
			 Newry and Armagh 212 
			 North Antrim 197 
			 North Down 137 
			 South Antrim 147 
			 South Down 273 
			 Strangford 180 
			 Upper Bann 225 
			 West Tyrone 183 
			 Total 3,426

Festivals

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much public money has been made available to support the (a) West Belfast Festival and (b) Belfast Saint Patrick's Day Parade and festival in each year since its inception.

David Hanson: Details of the public monies made available to support the (a) West Belfast Festival and (b) Belfast Saint Patrick's Day Parade and festival are given in the following table.
	
		£
		
			  Financial year West Belfast Festival St Patrick's Carnival 
		
		
			 1994–95 1,685 — 
			 1995–96 600 — 
			 1996–97 89,000 — 
			 1997–98 27,000 — 
			 1998–99 29,229.98 — 
			 1999–2000 47,630 32,720 
			 2000–01 80,933 2,000 
			 2001–02 290,330.41 2,000 
			 2002–03 249,224.26 7,000 
			 2003–04 382,221.15 8,900 
			 2004–05 360,037.95 — 
			 2005–06 253,417 — 
			 Total awarded 1,811,308.75 52,620 
		
	
	This information may not be complete for the following reasons:
	(a) Departments have no records of financial assistance awarded to the West Belfast Festival prior to the 1994–95 financial year.
	(b) Departments have no records of financial assistance awarded to the St. Patrick's Day Parade and festival prior to the 1999–2000 financial year.
	(c) The Northern Ireland Tourist Board has no records of financial assistance awarded to events prior to 1998–99.

Home Information Packs

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Government intend to introduce home information packs in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: The future direction as regards the introduction of home information packs will be determined as part of a major project to review current land law and conveyance legislation and practice in Northern Ireland which is due to commence in April 2006.

Housing

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 27 February 2006, Official Report, column 370W, on housing, what the total unpaid Housing Executive rent was in each district in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years; and what steps are being taken to recover outstanding amounts.

David Hanson: The total of unpaid Housing Executive rent in each district in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years from 1996 to 2005 is detailed in the following table.
	The Housing Executive inform me that the steps taken to recover outstanding amounts include a range of debt counselling/prevention procedures including arrangements through the Citizen's Advice Bureau. £11.5 million of debt is being recovered through voluntary and statutory means (including attachment to earnings and recovery from state benefits). On average NIHE recover possession of 150 properties through court action on grounds of rent arrears each year.
	
		Total NIHE rent/rates debt(5) -- £000
		
			  1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 Belfast 1 559 525 514 558 570 662 739 687 644 593 
			 Belfast 2 510 487 472 565 588 935 980 1,001 935 855 
			 Belfast 3 549 563 527 529 546 579 584 538 514 476 
			 Belfast 4 596 560 596 699 675 983 1,036 986 1,063 993 
			 Belfast 5 508 499 476 507 547 744 887 995 1,046 1,027 
			 Belfast 6 481 477 456 465 499 622 618 592 647 591 
			 Belfast 7 689 662 675 658 697 877 905 906 972 926 
			
			 Bangor 305 312 328 387 444 601 710 819 795 733 
			 Newtownards 419 391 460 556 662 740 810 901 937 721 
			 Castlereagh 544 559 550 590 641 796 852 864 930 867 
			 Lisburn 505 460 448 541 676 891 1,069 1,020 1,006 955 
			 Lisburn 3 465 440 430 413 430 430 435 420 468 408 
			 Downpatrick 447 444 481 461 461 529 547 534 545 473 
			
			 Banbridge 221 255 242 242 312 381 381 366 364 354 
			 Newry 362 383 363 343 370 448 475 473 451 415 
			 Armagh 244 253 227 218 251 268 324 307 276 232 
			 Lurgan/B'Iow 338 311 278 276 273 345 360 341 357 361 
			 Portadown 134 141 125 168 181 230 278 290 343 335 
			 Dungannon 156 166 153 145 204 249 313 351 336 312 
			 Fermanagh 124 143 134 168 205 235 255 239 264 262 
			
			 Ballymena 222 297 264 264 292 282 320 328 316 304 
			 Antrim 379 412 391 392 424 431 452 402 367 334 
			 N'abbey 1 329 298 277 329 337 350 440 402 381 366 
			 N'abbey 2 480 394 407 446 474 472 525 452 391 354 
			 C'fergus 365 351 323 388 408 366 377 337 340 286 
			 Larne 272 228 239 267 292 325 343 327 304 248 
			 Ballycastle 95 97 89 91 89 83 88 84 92 86 
			 Ballymoney 129 124 124 140 158 144 145 144 171 158 
			 Coleraine 338 334 344 386 438 459 535 517 517 467 
			 Waterloo Pl 317 288 271 259 267 330 341 319 286 252 
			 Waterside 535 535 506 517 613 751 827 819 788 768 
			 Collon Tee 407 388 360 345 370 470 530 585 575 513 
			 Limavady 222 228 218 236 280 307 327 306 317 302 
			 Magherafelt 116 152 135 162 170 208 235 267 305 251 
			 Strabane 336 334 314 328 404 471 564 520 543 488 
			 Omagh 206 196 174 186 200 201 255 294 322 277 
			 Cookstown 105 108 115 142 152 164 176 154 173 166 
			
			 Total 12,985 12,793 12,491 13,364 14,596 17,358 19,027 18,888 19,081 (6)17,512 
		
	
	(5)The figures quoted are at the end of the financial year i.e. 31 March and include debt
	from previous years.
	(6)This figure was previously quoted as 17,751 which included an amount of unrecoverable debt which has since been written off.
	Note:
	The figures quoted in the totals, which are correct, do not match the total of each of the columns due to these amounts being rounded to three figures.

Mobile Telephone Masts

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many new applications for mobile telephone masts are in the planning system in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) each council area in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: There are a total of 46 current telecommunication applications in the planning system in Northern Ireland.
	Details of the number of current telecommunication applications in each council area are provided in the following table.
	Please note that these figures refer to applications to construct or add to existing telecommunication masts.
	
		
			 Council area Number of applications 
		
		
			 Antrim 2 
			 Ards 2 
			 Armagh 0 
			 Ballymena 0 
			 Ballymoney 1 
			 Banbridge 0 
			 Belfast 1 
			 Carrickfergus 1 
			 Castlereagh 0 
			 Coleraine 2 
			 Cookstown 0 
			 Craigavon 7 
			 Derry 9 
			 Down 4 
			 Dungannon 1 
			 Fermanagh 2 
			 Larne 0 
			 Limavady 0 
			 Lisburn 0 
			 Magherafelt 0 
			 Moyle 0 
			 Newry and Mourne 6 
			 Newtownabbey 2 
			 North Down 2 
			 Omagh 4 
			 Strabane 0

Non-departmental Public Bodies (Political Allegiance)

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many of the last 50 people appointed to non-departmental public bodies in Northern Ireland for whom a party political allegiance was ascertained were allied to each party.

Angela Smith: Those appointed to the boards of non-departmental public bodies are not required to declare their political allegiance. However, they are asked to declare any significant political activity they may have undertaken in the five years prior to the date of their application. Information on the declared political activity of applicants and appointees to bodies sponsored by Northern Ireland's 11 government departments can be found in the Public Appointments Annual Report, and similar details in respect of NIO sponsored bodies is included in the NIO Departmental Report. Copies of the latest versions of both these reports are available from the Library of the House and can be found on the internet at www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/public-appointments and www.nio.gov.uk/departmental_report_2005.pdf respectively.
	As at 10 March 2006, the political affiliation of the last 51 1 individuals put forward for appointment to non-departmental public bodies in Northern Ireland as elected representatives is as follows:
	1 As several elected representatives were appointed on the same date, it is not possible to list the exact last 50 appointments.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Alliance 4 
			 DUP 14 
			 SDLP 12 
			 Sinn Fein 8 
			 UUP 11 
			 Others 2 
			 Total 51

Northern Ireland Assembly Ombudsman

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases the Northern Ireland Assembly Ombudsman has investigated in each of the last three years; and in what percentage of cases there was a finding in favour of the complainant in each year.

Angela Smith: I understand that the Northern Ireland Ombudsman has written to the hon. Gentleman. A copy of the letter has been placed in the Library.

Public Appointments

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people appointed to non-departmental public bodies in Northern Ireland had their membership of such bodies suspended or terminated between 2000 and 2005.

Angela Smith: In the period from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2005, 12 individuals had their appointment to non-departmental public bodies terminated. There were no suspensions of appointment in this period.

Secondary Schools (East Londonderry)

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how many secondary schools in the East Londonderry constituency are based in premises over 50-years-old;
	(2)  how many secondary schools in East Londonderry constituency are based in premises over 50-years-old.

Angela Smith: There are four secondary schools in the East Londonderry constituency that are based in premises over 50-years-old. These are:
	Garvagh high school;
	Coleraine academical institution;
	Loreto college, Coleraine; and
	Dominician college, Portstewart.

Sexual Assaults

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many sexual assaults have been reported in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years, broken down by constituency; and how many convictions there were for such assaults in each year, in each constituency.

Shaun Woodward: Reporting data in respect of sexual assaults is only available by District Command Unit. Statistics in relation to this type of offence are available on the PSNI website: www.psni.police.uk The following table provides statistics on the number of convictions for sexual assaults by District Command Unit during the period 2000 to 2003 (2003 being the most up-to-date data currently available). Data for 1999 has not been included as it is not comparable with the 2000–03 data.
	
		Table 1: Convictions for sexual assaults by District Command Unit 2000–03
		
			  2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Antrim 2 0 3 1 
			 Ards 6 0 2 2 
			 Armagh 3 2 2 0 
			 Banbridge 2 0 0 1 
			 Belfast East 3 4 1 3 
			 Belfast North 6 6 5 5 
			 Belfast South 7 10 6 7 
			 Belfast West 4 3 0 3 
			 Ballymena 0 2 1 2 
			 Ballymoney 3 1 0 2 
			 Carrickfergus 3 3 0 0 
			 Coleraine 3 4 0 0 
			 Cookstown 2 0 0 0 
			 Craigavon 3 3 2 5 
			 Castlereagh 1 3 2 1 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone 4 1 0 2 
			 Down 4 2 3 1 
			 Fermanagh 7 1 3 3 
			 Foyle 9 8 4 4 
			 Larne 0 0 1 2 
			 Limavady 1 0 2 2 
			 Lisburn 3 9 2 6 
			 Magherafelt 0 0 3 1 
			 Moyle 1 1 0 0 
			 Newtownabbey 1 3 2 2 
			 North Down 1 4 2 1 
			 Newry and Mourne 5 1 0 2 
			 Omagh 0 2 3 3 
			 Strabane 1 0 3 1 
			 Missing 4 8 3 4 
			 Total 89 81 55 66 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Table 1 is based on the PSNI District Command Unit in which an offender's address falls. The structure of police District Command Units became operational in April 2001. However, for the purposes of comparability, calendar year 2000 data are also disaggregated by DCU, rather than police division. It is not possible to disaggregate data by DCU for 1999.
	2.Figures include convictions for the offences of assault with intent to rape", indecent assault on female", indecent assault on male", indecent assault on female child" and indecent assault onmale child".
	3.Missing" data includes those convictions for which DCU information is not available.
	4. Data is collated on the principal offence rule, thus only the most serious offence for which an offender is charged is included.
	5.At present there is no means of tracking an offence from when it was reported to the police to whether there was a conviction for the offence, thus the conviction figures included should not be compared with the number of sexual assaults reported.

Shootings and Assaults

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of the level of (a) Loyalist and (b) Republican shootings and assaults; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: PSNI statistics are as follows:
	
		
			  2006(7) 2005(7) 
			  Loyalist Republican Total Loyalist Republican Total 
		
		
			 Shootings 10 — 10 12 5 17 
			 Assaults 7 4 11 13 10 23 
			 Total 17 4 21 25 15 40 
		
	
	(7)12 March.
	Paramilitary style shootings and attacks continue on a downward trend.

Small Firms

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what definition the Department uses of a small firm.

David Hanson: The precision with which terms such as 'small firm' and 'SME' (small and medium-sized enterprise) are used by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) depend on the context. There is no single definition of a small firm. Definitions commonly used are those of the European Union (EU) and the Companies Act 1985. The EU defines a small firm as one with:
	Maximum headcount of 49 (employees and self-employed)
	Maximum annual turnover of €10 million
	Maximum annual balance sheet total of €10 million
	Maximum percentage owned by one or jointly owned by several enterprises not satisfying the same criteria 25 per cent.
	The Companies Act 1985 states that a company is 'small' if it satisfies at least two of the following criteria:
	A turnover of not more than £5.6 million
	A balance sheet total of not more than £2.8 million
	Not more than 50 employees

Special Needs Provision

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many pupils in (a) schools and (b) special needs education in Northern Ireland are assessed as (i) partially-sighted and (ii) totally blind.

Angela Smith: In the 2005–06 school census return, there were 60 pupils with special educational needs who were recorded as blind. Of these, 40 were in special schools.
	There were 542 children with special educational needs recorded as partially sighted. Of these, 203 were in special schools.

Ulster Scots Culture

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will establish a liaison group of education authorities in Northern Ireland to pursue with their counterparts in Scotland the promotion and understanding of the Ulster-Scots cultural outlook.

David Hanson: Government have no plans to establish such a liaison group. It believes that the Ulster Scots Agency is well placed to pursue the promotion and understanding of Ulster-Scots culture in Northern Ireland.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Academic Year

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether a publicly-funded further education provider has discretion to set the length of an academic year.

Bill Rammell: Further education (FE) colleges are independent institutions incorporated under the 1992 Further and Higher Education Act and, as such, are themselves responsible for setting the dates for their terms and academic year. However, in practice, colleges align their academic year with the traditional academic year followed by schools and universities.
	The funding and accounting year for FE colleges is set by the Learning and Skills Council at 1 August to 31 July, to coincide with the traditional academic year.
	The length of the academic year may depend to some extent on the dates for the duration and completion of individual courses. However, this will depend on the requirements of the relevant qualification awarding bodies, on the types of qualification delivered and on the mode of delivery.
	Colleges will, of course, also provide the courses which do not follow the pattern of a traditional academic year to meet the needs of employers and learners.

Bishop Wulstan Catholic School

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures the Bishop Wulstan Catholic School in Warwickshire is taking to raise its standards; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The Local Authority is in discussion with DfES officials about how best to improve educational outcomes for pupils at Bishop Wulstan School in both the short and medium term. However, discussions are still ongoing and no decisions have yet been taken.

Building Schools for the Future

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she expects to reply to the letter of 8 February 2006 on building schools for the future in County Durham from the hon. Member for Easington.

Jacqui Smith: I responded to the hon. Member's letter on 13 March.

Bullying

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on her Department's plans to combat bullying in educational establishments.

Jacqui Smith: This Government have given an unprecedented high profile to tackling bullying and supporting those who have been bullied. Since 1999 it has been compulsory for every school to have an anti-bullying policy in place which details how the school will tackle bullying. Our anti-bullying work, including the anti-bullying Charter for Action, takes an integrated approach to preventing bullying, to addressing causes of bullying—for example prejudice—and to helping those who are bullied.
	As recommended by the Practitioners Group on Behaviour and Discipline, the recent White Paper committed the Department to producing specific guidance for schools on prejudice driven bullying. At the beginning of this month, we launched our new advice 'Bullying around racism, religion and culture; how to prevent it and what to do when it happens' as the first of this suite of materials. The advice is presented as a set of interactive web pages on the teachernet website and is being supported by a national programme of dissemination events. Feedback from schools and local authorities so far has been overwhelmingly positive. We will be following this with specific advice on countering homophobic bullying later in 2006.
	We have secured a very broad consensus, with all the teaching professional associations and the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA) signing up to our Anti-Bullying Charter for Action. The Charter is a voluntary commitment to creating a school community where bullying is not tolerated. In 2006 we plan to share examples of where the Charter has been particularly well implemented with other schools so that they can learn from this best practice.
	Through our work with the ABA, an organisation comprising over 65 leading anti-bullying charities and experts, we provide schools and local authorities with expert help to tackle bullying. The National Strategies' behaviour materials provide schools with support in reducing and responding to bullying.
	We have put more adults than ever in our schools—teachers, classroom assistants, learning mentors, Connexions personal advisers, Behaviour and Education Support Teams and police officers—so that a wide range of people are available to help prevent and tackle bullying.
	Anti-bullying week continues to be a successful event with a large number of schools taking part in November 2005's activities through a wide variety of national and local events. There was a considerable amount of positive press coverage and this year over 325,000 anti-bullying wristbands were distributed.
	Our anti-bullying resource pack for schools Bullying: Don't Suffer in Silence", updated in 2000 and September 2002 will be revised and re-issued in the summer term 2006 to ensure schools have the most up-to-date information available on tackling bullying.
	In addition the Department has recently launched the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) curriculum resource—an intervention to develop children's social, emotional and behavioural skills from Foundation Stage to Year 6. It is available to all primary schools and the evidence from the pilot suggests that it helps reduce bullying and promotes positive behaviour generally. It is an important arm of the Department's longer term policy to promote positive behaviour and attendance. The Department is hoping to build on the work carried out in primary schools by providing a similar whole school curriculum based resource for secondary schools (SEBS). At present the programme is in a very early pilot stage.

Communicable Diseases

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps her Department (a) has taken and (b) is taking to raise awareness of communicable diseases in higher education establishments, with particular reference to meningitis; how many students have (i) contracted and (ii) died of meningitis since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: This Department works in partnership with higher education sector bodies, such as Universities UK (UUK) and the Standing Conference of Principals (SCOP) to give guidance and raise awareness of particular issues that affect the sector.
	In response to publicity and concerns about recurring cases of meningococcal disease at higher education institutions, UUK published revised guidance on managing the disease in July 2004. Organisations such as the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and the Public Health Medicine Environment Group were involved in drawing up the guidance. The guidance helps institutions and health protection units prepare for meningitis or septicaemia and indicates the action they should take following a case or outbreak.
	The HPA collects data on the number of cases and deaths from meningococcal disease in higher education students. UUK's guidance gives HPA figures from 1999 to 2002. These are set out in the following table:
	
		
			   Number of deaths of students from meningitis(8) 
			  Number of cases of students with meningitis(8) Number Percentage 
		
		
			 1999 77 4 5.2 
			 2000 60 5 8.3 
			 2001 57 6 10.5 
			 2002 54 4 7.4 
		
	
	(8)In higher education institutions in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Drinking Water (Schools)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the merits of installing water coolers in all schools to improve pupils' access to free, fresh drinking water during the school day;
	(2)  what steps she is taking to encourage water consumption by pupils during the school day.

Jacqui Smith: We are aware of the importance of children drinking water during the school day and the benefits that it brings. The interactive Food in Schools Toolkit, published jointly by the Department of Health and DfES, provides a wide range of guidance, resources and interactive tools to inspire and support schools in taking a whole school approach to healthy eating anddrinking, including water provision. The 'Water Provision' guidance supports schools in reviewing and improving current provision and promoting water consumption.
	The Cross Departmental Healthy Living Blueprint", issued to all schools, brings together all government advice and examples of best practice about healthy eating and drinking in schools. It provides schools with advice on how to improve children's approach to food and drink and exercise, and shows how developing whole school approaches can help bring about significant improvements to the health of children.
	Healthy School Lunches guidance, published by the DfES, contains the Secretary of State's expectation that drinking water should be available to all pupils every day, free of charge. This view is mirrored in the 'Healthy Living Blueprint for Schools', which states that,
	all pupils should have access to drinking water at all times at a number of points around the school, preferably not from taps in the toilets. Pupils should be permitted to carry water with them and consumption encouraged both in class and during break and lunch time".
	The School Meals Review Panel (SMRP) made a reference to drinking water in recommendation 7 of their report—Turning the Tables: There should be easy access to free, fresh, chilled drinking water throughout the school day (paragraph 2.32)". The consultation closed on 31 December 2005 and the responses are being analysed.
	It is the responsibility of head teachers and school's governing bodies to decide how and when water should be made available. We consider that they are best placed to make these decisions in their role of having responsibility of the day to day running of the school and with their knowledge of the individual circumstances of their pupils.

Education Act 2002

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools are a qualifying school for the purposes of chapter 2 of the Education Act 2002.

Jacqui Smith: The provisions set out in chapter 2 of the Education Act (2002) conferring exemptions related to school performance, have not yet been commenced. Regulations setting out which schools are qualifying schools" have not been made. As such, no schools are qualifying schools" for the purposes of these provisions. We are keeping the provisions under review.

Energy Efficiency

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to increase energy efficiency within her Department; and if she will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Department is taking the following steps to increase energy efficiency:
	Energy Audits undertaken by the Carbon Trust on three buildings, findings to be presented to facilities managers during April;
	Plant and machinery efficiency reviewed regularly by building engineers and remedial action taken where necessary;
	Building Management Systems checked by building engineers to confirm equipment is operating effectively;
	Window seals renewed at Moorfoot as part of a two year programme to reduce drafts;
	Timer plugs installed on photocopiers at Moorfoot with the potential of extending to other sites and electrical equipment, depending on feasibility and funds. As an interim measure, photocopiers are switched off each night by Security Guards at Darlington;
	Sensor lighting installed in Sanctuary Buildings' car parks and 8th floor and considering the feasibility of extending this further;
	New software, called NightWatchman", introduced from February 2006 to shutdown PCs automatically at a set time each evening;
	Flat screen monitors installed which use less energy, at every workstation which doesn't have one already;
	Multi Functional Devices being trialled which can print, scan and fax. If successful, they will be implemented throughout the Department.

Examination Boards

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research her Department has commissioned into the effects of competition on examination boards.

Jacqui Smith: The Secretary of State has not commissioned any research into the effects of competition on awarding bodies. Responsibility for regulating qualifications and ensuring standards are maintained in England lies with the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). The QCA keeps the qualifications system under review, and published in 2004 a study of the market for qualifications which looked at the structure of the marketplace and the drivers for change.

GCSE grades

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of children in (a) Tameside and (b) Stockport local education authority achieved five or more GCSEs at (i) grade A*-C and (ii) grade A*-G in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is presented in the following table.
	
		GCSE and equivalent(9) achievements of 15-year-old pupils
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004(10) 2005(11)(5508990012) 
		
		
			 (i) Percentage of 15-year-old pupils achieving 5 or more grades A*-C 
			 Stockport local authority(13) 50.2 50.2 50.1 51.7 54.2 52.4 53.3 53.0 54.4 
			 Tameside local authority(13) 37.7 38.4 40.5 42.1 42.0 43.1 46.2 44.7 51.7 
			 LA maintained total(13) 42.5 43.6 45.7 47.0 47.9 49.5 51.1 52.0 54.7 
			 England (all schools) 45.1 46.3 47.9 49.2 50.0 51.6 52.9 53.7 56.3 
			   
			 (ii) Percentage of 15-year-old pupils achieving 5 or more grades A*-G 
			 Stockport local authority(13) 91.6 90. 4 91.6 90.9 91.9 89.9 90.6 89.9 90.2 
			 Tameside local authority(13) 86.2 89. 2 90.5 90.9 90.5 89.3 90.0 89.6 90.5 
			 LA maintained total(13) 87.0 88. 0 89.3 89.6 89.6 89.6 89.4 89.7 89.9 
			 England (all schools) 86.4 87. 5 88.5 88.9 88.9 88.9 88.8 88.8 89.0 
		
	
	(9)From 1997, figures include results of GCSE and GNVQ qualifications.
	(10)From 2004, figures include results of GCSE and all other equivalent qualifications approved for use pre-16.
	(11)From 2005, figures also include results of graded exams.
	(12)Figures for 2005 are revised; final figures will be published later in 2006.
	(13)The figures for each LA, and the LA maintained total include LA maintained schools, CTCs and, from 2003, academies, England (all schools) figures include all schools.

Graduate Teacher Programme

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding her Department has provided to the Graduate Teacher Programme in each year since the programme's creation.

Jacqui Smith: The Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) is managed by the Training and Development Agency for Schools (IDA). The GTP was initially established on a small scale in 1998 but was expanded significantly in 2001. The TDA also manages three other smaller employment based initial teacher training schemes. These are the registered teacher, overseas-trained teacher, and teach first programmes. More than 90 per cent. of current TDA expenditure on employment based initial teacher training is incurred on the GTP.
	The Department for Education and Skills funds the TDA. The TDA has discretion as to how it distributes these funds in support of its statutory functions. The following table shows the amount of funding for employment based initial teacher training included within total funding provided by the DfES to the TDA from 1998–99 onwards.
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 1998–99 3.5 
			 1999–2000 3.8 
			 2000–01 10.5 
			 2001–02 34.9 
			 2002–03 40.9 
			 2003–04 66.9 
			 2004–05 76.9 
			 2005–06 86.9

Graduate Teacher Programme

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what response her Department has made to the Ofsted report on the Graduate Teacher Programme; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: I have asked officials to discuss the report's findings and recommendations with the Training and Development Agency for schools.

Learning and Skills Council

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what support the Learning and Skills Council offers to adults who have held a level 2 qualification for more than 20 years and who wish to study for a new qualification at the same level but in a different subject area.

Phil Hope: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has an extensive range of support to meet the different types of learners' needs, this includes those who already hold a full level 2 qualification and would like to study at the same level. In 2006/07, unless the individual is within an exempt category, the assumed fee contribution of individuals will be 32.5 per cent. Consequently, the LSC will offer substantial financial support to repeat level 2 learners by funding 67.5 per cent. of the total cost of the tuition fees. Individuals can also benefit from access to discretionary learner support funds; this could include assistance with the costs of transport and child care. Also available is a commercial bank loan to support the costs of learning and there is access for all to information and advice through an integrated service. This includes information and advice through learndirect and through local nextstep services.
	Those exempt from fees in further education are: 16–18-year-olds; unemployed people in receipt of jobseeker's allowance; those in receipt of income-based benefits; the unwaged dependants of those listed; and, asylum seekers in receipt of equivalent income-based benefit and their dependants.

Learning and Skills Council

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what systems are in place in the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to ensure that national, regional and local plans are adjusted to take account of research findings about learning and skills commissioned by (a) the LSC and (b) other organisations.

Bill Rammell: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is responsible for identifying national and local learning and skills needs, and for setting and implementing strategies and plans for meeting those needs. Good information on labour market and skills trends is essential for the council's work in steering post-16 education and skills provision. In developing its plans the LSC takes account of a wide range of information about current and future skill needs, including the national employer skills survey, research into learner and employer views of learning, and data contained in the Working Futures 2004 to 2014 reports, commissioned by the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA). The LSC is also required to consult and take account of the plans of other organisations, including local authorities and the regional development agencies, and, at the national level, sector skills councils help to identify the skills that are needed for each sector.
	Each year the LSC produces an annual statement of priorities. Plans are then formally reviewed throughout the year by the LSC's management group, and adjustments are made in the light of changing priorities if necessary. Changes to the LSC's internal organisation will further strengthen its research capacity, and ensure even more effective delivery against individual and employer needs at national, regional and local level.

Learning and Skills Council

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what systems are in place to enable good practice in one Learning and Skills Council (LSC) area to be shared with other local LSCs outside their region.

Bill Rammell: Staff from local Learning and Skills Councils (LSCs) meet regularly to exchange and develop good practice and the LSC publishes a range of documents which contain best practice examples. Both the LSC's annual statement of priorities and annual report include examples of case studies illustrating what has worked well in local areas. All LSC documents can be accessed through the reading room on the LSC's website www.lsc.gov.uk
	The LSC also works with existing provider networks and the Association of Colleges and the Association of Learning Providers to help share best practice through their members.
	In addition, the LSC manages and funds the Skills and Enterprise Network website (www.senet.lsc.gov.uk). This has over 8,000 members, representing a very broad range of institutions, including the LSC national and local offices, universities, colleges, training providers, national and local government, policy organisations, local authorities, schools and research institutions. The aim of the newsletter and web pages is to provide easy access to up-to-date information on education, training and learning, including research and labour market information; and to enable the sharing of good practice in teaching and quality improvement between providers.
	The new LSC structure will enhance the LSC's ability to share best practice through the new partnership teams feeding into the regional structure. This will be strengthened with the development of regional quality improvement partnerships.

School Exclusions

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils were permanently excluded from (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Lancashire local education authority areas in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Maintained primary and secondary schools(14): number and percentage of permanently excluded pupils(15) 1999/2000 to2003/04—Lancashire local authority area
		
			  Primary Secondary 
			  Number Percentage(16) Number Percentage(16) 
		
		
			 1999/2000 20 0.02 140 0.19 
			 2000/01(17) 30 0.03 210 0.28 
			 2001/02(17) 40 0.04 240 0.32 
			 2002/03(17) 30 0.03 300 0.40 
			 2003/04(17) 40 0.04 280 0.37 
		
	
	(14)Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(15)Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	(16)The number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of pupils, excluding dually registered pupils.
	(17)Figures are as confirmed by local authorities via the data checking exercise.
	Source:
	Annual Schools Census

School Leavers

Eric Martlew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people have left school at 16 in (a) Carlisle constituency and (b) Cumbria with less than the equivalent of five GCSEs at A to C grade in each year since 1994.

Jacqui Smith: Figures at constituency level are only available from 1996/97 onwards. Information is provided below for each academic year from 1996/97 to 2004/05 for Carlisle constituency, Cumbria local authority and England.
	
		15-year-old pupils not achieving the equivalent of five GCSEs at A*-C
		
			  Carlisle(18) Cumbria(18) England(19) 
			 Academic year Number Percentage Number Percentage Percentage 
		
		
			 2004/05 517 50.6 2,598 43.2 43.7 
			 2003/04 494 51.0 2,699 44.7 46.3 
			 2002/03 565 55.1 2,773 47.0 47.1 
			 2001/02 536 54.8 2,710 47.3 48.4 
			 2000/01 525 54.6 2,897 49.2 50.0 
			 1999/2000 569 55.4 2,784 49.4 50.8 
			 1998/99 585 58.4 2,963 52.4 52.1 
			 1997/98 597 61.4 3,092 56.1 53.7 
			 1996/97 583 59.5 3,195 56.5 54.9 
		
	
	(18)Local figures are based on maintained schools only.
	(19)National figures are based on all schools.

School Meals

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the number and percentage of schools which have kitchens;
	(2)  in how many and what percentage of local authorities school meals are (a) produced in-house and (b) outsourced.
	(3)  how many and what percentage of (a) primary and (b) secondary schools provide a hot school meals service.

Jacqui Smith: The Department for Education and Skills does not collect this information.

School Meals

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much is spent on average for each school meal for (a) primary school pupils, (b) secondary school pupils and (c) juvenile offenders.

Jacqui Smith: Estimates based on responses to a recent survey indicate that, on average, local authorities (LA) delegate £1.49 per pupil eligible for free school meals per day at primary school and £1.53 per pupil eligible for free school meals per day at secondary school.
	The Department's Cost of Schooling Survey indicated that, on average, parents with a child at primary school spent £1.46 for a school meal and parents with a child at secondary school spent £1.92 for a school meal in 2004.
	The Department does not collect other information about per pupil spending on school meals or any information about spending on meals for juvenile offenders.

School Meals

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what plans she has to increase funding for school meals;
	(2)  when the Government expects to reach the targetof spending 60 pence on each child for school lunches;
	(3)  what recent representations she has received on the issue of increasing the nutritional content of school lunches.

Jacqui Smith: The Government are determined to transform the quality of food in schools and supports the work local authorities and schools are doing to raise the nutritional standards of school meals.
	In March 2005 the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, Ruth Kelly, announced a £235 million package to transform the quality of school meals. In October 2005, as part of a three year package and paid as part of their Standards Fund Allocations, schools received a share of £30 million to enable them to fund local improvements such as increased training and working hours for school cooks. A further £60 million (£30 million/£30 million) will be paid in 2006 and 2007. Over the same period, local authorities will receive £130 million (£30 million/£50 million/£50 million).
	There is no Government target for spending. The School Meals Review Panel report: Turning the Tables: Transforming School Food, concluded that the average cost of ingredients in primary schools was 48.5p; and in secondary schools was 59.8p. This shows that schools are already well on the way to meeting the Government's aspiration of helping schools to provide meals with ingredients costs of 50p for primary schools and 60p for secondary schools. In some cases, where they have already made significant improvements, schools are spending more than 50/60 pence.
	The public consultation carried out between 3 October 2005 and 31 December 2005 on the recommendations in the School Meals Review Panel's Report generated 261 responses. The School Food Trust has announced its advice for the nutritional standards that should apply to school food offered across the school day, including items offered in vending machines and tuck shops. We will seek the views of key stakeholders during March.
	Additionally, officials from the School Food Team have met with a number of industry representatives, who requested an opportunity to discuss specific issues, as part of the consultation process.

School Nurses

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which primary care trust areas have at least one full-time year-round qualified school nurse.

Liam Byrne: I have been asked to reply.
	September 2004 census showed that there were 2,409 (1,619 full-time equivalent) qualified nurses working in the school nursing service, of whom 856 (607 fte) have a post registration school nursing qualification.
	On average each primary care trust (PCT), who provided data for the census on school nurses, has six (four fte) qualified school nurses providing year round cover.
	The number of full-time qualified school nurses by PCT and trust has been placed in the Library.

Schools (Religious Ethos)

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made ofthe compatibility with Article 2 of Protocol 1 and Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights of circumstances where the only practical choice of school is a school with a religious ethos; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: Article 2 of Protocol 1 gives children the right of access to education. It also places an obligation on the state to acknowledge or take into account the right of parents to ensure that their child's education conforms to their own religious and philosophical convictions. However, it does not guarantee the right to a place at a particular school.
	Article 14 prohibits discrimination in the enjoyment of Convention rights on any ground such as sex, race, colour, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, association with a national minority, property, birth or other status.
	Taking into account section 71 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 which gives parents the right to withdraw their child from religious education or collective worship, in our view, Article 2 of Protocol 1 is not infringed in cases where a school with a religious ethos may be the only one available to a parent.

Staff Strikes (Higher Education)

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps her Department is taking to minimise the effects of strikes by National Association of Teachers of Further and Higher Education and the Association of University Teachers on students in higher education.

Bill Rammell: Universities are autonomous and responsible for determining their own academic and administrative affairs, including deciding what to pay their own staff. Pay and conditions of service are subject to negotiations between employers, their staff and their representative trade union bodies. The Government play no part in this.
	It is a matter for higher education institutions to consider how best they can minimise the adverse effects of the current dispute. The Government would encourage both employers and unions to reach a speedy resolution on this matter, to ensure minimal further disruption to students

Student Finance

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of students who would become ineligible for student support if eligibility was based on the combined income of a student's resident and non-resident parent instead of the household income measure.

Bill Rammell: We do not collect data on the income of non-resident parents and as such no estimate has been produced.

University Fees/Students

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether she plans to decrease the income threshold necessary for obtaining financial help with university fees.

Bill Rammell: From the 2006/07 academic year, all eligible full-time undergraduate students will be able to take out a loan to cover the cost of their tuition fees, regardless of their household income. However, we will be undertaking a review of household income thresholds and tapers for maintenance support to anticipate around 30 per cent. of new full-time undergraduate students qualifying for the full £2,700 non-repayable maintenance grant and around 50 per cent. qualifying for a full or partial grant in future academic years.

University Fees/Students

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2006, Official Report, column 690W, on university students, which institution in 2003–04 had the highest percentage of young full-time first degree from National Statistics socio-economic classes 4–7 students that is not a former polytechnic.

Bill Rammell: Harper Adams university college was the institution with the highest proportion of students from NS-SEC categories 4–7, which was not a former polytechnic. The following table indicates which institutions in the top 10 were not former polytechnics.
	
		Percentage of young full-time first degree entrants from National Statistics—socio-economic classes 4–7, English HE institutions, 2003/04
		
			 HE institution Number of young full-time first degree entrants Percentage with known data Percentage from NS-SEC 4–7 
		
		
			 10 institutions with the highest percentage 
			 Harper Adams University College(20) 210 89.6 68.3 
			 University of Bradford(20) 1,185 71.4 49.2 
			 Newman College of HE(20) 255 73.5 48.7 
			 University of Wolverhampton 2,160 70.5 48.5 
			 University of Greenwich 1,595 71.5 45.8 
			 University of Luton(20) 600 62.3 44.8 
			 Middlesex University 1,840 53.5 44.0 
			 Bishop Grosseteste College(20) 215 88.4 43.5 
			 London Metropolitan University 1,890 48.9 43.0 
			 University of Westminster 2,670 66.6 43.0 
		
	
	(20)Indicates institutions which were not former polytechnics.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Administration Costs

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the administrative costs were of each agency for which he has responsibility in the last year for which figures are available; what the total of such costs was in that year; and whether the costs are regarded for the purposes of public expenditure statistical analyses as (a) identifiable and (b) non-identifiable.

James Plaskitt: The administrative costs of each agency of the Department for 2004–05 are set out in the following table and are stated net of income. All the costs were identifiable for the purposes of the public expenditure statistical analyses. The Disability and Carers Service was set up in November 2004.
	
		
			  Agency Administration costs 2004–05 (£ million) 
		
		
			 Jobcentre Plus 3,148 
			 Pension Service 831 
			 Child Support Agency 326 
			 Disability and Carers Service 120 
			 Appeals Service 66 
			 Rent Service 39 
			 Total 4,530

Attendance Allowance

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) proportion of attendance allowance decisions were appealed against and (b) percentage of appeals by the claimant were successful in each of the last five years, broken down by disability benefit centre.

Anne McGuire: The administration of attendance allowance is a matter for the chief executive of the disability and carers service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Terry Moran
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) proportion of attendance allowance decisions were appealed against and (b) percentage of appeals by the claimant were successful, in each of the last five years, broken down by disability benefit centre.
	The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service.
	The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table:
	
		Attendance allowance appeals success rate by disability benefit centre, 2003 to 2006
		
			  Appeals YTD 2003–04 YTD 2004–05 FEB YTD 2005–06 
		
		
			 Edinburgh Registered 698 663 546 
			  Cleared 655 671 572 
			  Total Awards 153 158 146 
			  Awards as a percentage of Total Decisions 28.7 31.3 29.4 
			  Total Decisions 533 505 496 
			  
			 Newcastle Registered 881 577 507 
			  Cleared 962 559 527 
			  Total Awards 292 231 147 
			  Awards as a percentage of Total Decisions 34.2 35.7 33.6 
			  Total Decisions 854 647 438 
			  
			 Leeds Registered 1,392 997 828 
			  Cleared 1,360 1,043 851 
			  Total Awards 327 300 163 
			  Awards as a percentage of Total Decisions 30.6 31.9 29.5 
			  Total Decisions 1,070 939 553 
			 Manchester Registered 709 534 393 
			  Cleared 690 542 398 
			  Total Awards 197 110 71 
			  Awards as a percentage of Total Decisions 29.3 25.6 22.4 
			  Total Decisions 673 429 317 
			  
			 Bootle Registered 693 525 480 
			  Cleared 717 527 500 
			  Total Awards 171 115 79 
			  Awards as a percentage of Total Decisions 26.9 22.9 19.1 
			  Total Decisions 636 503 413 
			  
			 Midlands Registered 1,928 1,794 1,562 
			  Cleared 1,959 1,764 1,614 
			  Total Awards 539 408 417 
			  Awards as a percentage of Total Decisions 29.8 29.8 30.1 
			  Total Decisions 1,809 1,371 1,385 
			  
			 Bristol Registered 595 435 384 
			  Cleared 596 482 389 
			  Total Awards 93 89 38 
			  Awards as a percentage of Total Decisions 22.4 21.7 14.6 
			  Total Decisions 415 410 261 
			  
			 Wales Registered 347 384 322 
			  Cleared 378 387 320 
			  Total Awards 72 68 37 
			  Awards as a percentage of Total Decisions 26.5 24.3 15.9 
			  Total Decisions 272 280 232 
			  
			 Wembley Registered 1,502 1,629 1,436 
			  Cleared 1,467 1,715 1,433 
			  Total Awards 408 380 396 
			  Awards as a percentage of Total Decisions 30.5 28.5 31.7 
			  Total Decisions 1,336 1,335 1,249 
			  
			 Sutton Registered 1,296 1,044 348 
			  Cleared 1,350 1,067 420 
			  Total Awards 413 258 117 
			  Awards as a percentage of Total Decisions 44.5 37.0 35.6 
			  Total Decisions 929 698 329 
			  
			 Glasgow Registered 1,187 1,020 667 
			  Cleared 1,224 1,063 655 
			  Total Awards 451 387 189 
			  Awards as a percentage of Total Decisions 37.5 33.6 27.4 
			  Total Decisions 1,202 1,151 689 
		
	
	Note:
	Data is not available for AA appeals prior to 2003–04.
	I hope this is helpful.

Attendance Allowance

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claims for attendance allowances were made in each of the last five years; and what percentage were successful, broken down by disability benefits centre.

Anne McGuire: The administration of attendance allowance is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Terry Moran
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claims for attendance allowances were made in each of the last five years; and what percentage were successful broken down by disability benefits centre.
	The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service.
	The information requested is in the following table.
	
		Attendance allowance total claims success rate by disability benefit centre 2001–06
		
			   YTD 
			  Claims 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06(21) 
		
		
			 Edinburgh Registered 19,662 20,196 20,960 18,709 17,467 
			  Cleared 19,565 19,757 18,257 19,536 17,318 
			  Total awards 14,434 15,971 15,854 15,007 13,198 
			  Awards as a percentage of total decisions 74.8 81.8 78.2 77.5 77.2 
			  Total decisions 19,290 19,517 20,263 19,359 17,092 
			
			 Newcastle Registered 19,193 20,259 20,301 18,575 18,222 
			  Cleared 19,316 20,090 18,161 18,399 18,232 
			  Total awards 13,996 14,245 14,088 14,244 14,113 
			  Awards as a percentage of total decisions 73.5 71.9 70.1 78.2 78.5 
			  Total decisions 19,037 19,816 20,093 18,214 17,971 
			
			 Leeds Registered 34,817 35,586 35,837 33,265 31,558 
			  Cleared 34,181 35,981 32,157 33,365 32,019 
			  Total awards 23,845 25,214 25,010 23,954 23,308 
			  Awards as a percentage of total decisions 70.8 71.2 70.0 72.7 74.1 
			  Total decisions 33,686 35,406 35,720 32,945 31,455 
			
			 Manchester Registered 31,494 22,422 23,405 21,840 20,106 
			  Cleared 21,502 22,582 20,549 22,365 20,136 
			  Total awards 16,260 17,034 17,720 17,484 16,243 
			  Awards as a percentage of total decisions 76.8 76.8 78.5 79.2 82.0 
			  Total decisions 21,163 22,188 22,569 22,085 19,802 
			
			 Bootle Registered 26,284 27,591 28,504 27,152 24,816 
			  Cleared 26,578 27,384 26,037 27,290 25,341 
			  Total awards 20,612 21,554 23,223 22,549 21,487 
			  Awards as a percentage of total decisions 78.9 79.9 82.0 83.6 85.9 
			  Total decisions 26,141 26,990 28,321 26,988 25,021 
			
			 Midlands Registered 64,786 66,587 70,182 66,653 61,800 
			  Cleared 64,431 69,449 63,765 66,534 62,322 
			  Total awards 47,615 51,599 53,482 50,351 48,111 
			  Awards as a percentage of total decisions 75.5 75.5 76.9 76.5 78.2 
			  Total decisions 63,099 68,326 69,517 65,815 61,525 
			
			 Bristol Registered 38,259 40,071 42,944 39,852 37,538 
			  Cleared 37,999 40,423 38,237 38,551 37,733 
			  Total awards 29,739 32,606 33,801 31,390 31,450 
			  Awards as a percentage of total decisions 79.8 82.1 81.4 82.6 84.9 
			  Total decisions 37,263 39,717 41,517 38,024 37,064 
			
			 Wales Registered 23,750 24,227 21,230 23,774 21,682 
			  Cleared 23,791 24,615 20,005 25,476 21,566 
			  Total awards 17,288 18,750 17,156 20,780 17,670 
			  Awards as a percentage of total decisions 73.6 76.9 82.9 82.3 82.8 
			  Total decisions 23,501 24,381 20,703 25,235 21,331 
			
			 Wembley Registered 61,098 63,430 68,727 63,873 63,161 
			  Cleared 60,733 64,097 62,998 63,551 62,476 
			  Total awards 48,462 51,262 53,536 48,025 47,218 
			  Awards as a percentage of total decisions 81.5 81.5 78.7 76.3 76.7 
			  Total decisions 59,488 62,886 68,036 62,911 61,558 
			
			 Sutton Registered 58,493 60,558 65,134 59,301 17,947 
			  Cleared 58,772 61,291 58,332 59,793 21,073 
			  Total awards 44,943 47,887 52,436 49,211 17,455 
			  Awards as a percentage of total decisions 78.2 79.6 81.5 83.3 84.2 
			  Total decisions 57,453 60,169 64,336 59,078 20,728 
			
			 Glasgow Registered 18,030 18,670 19,960 17,920 16,351 
			  Cleared 18,435 18,599 18,825 18,160 16,434 
			  Total awards 12,055 13,746 15,965 13,999 13,018 
			  Awards as a percentage of total decisions 66.3 75.2 79.7 77.8 80.3 
			  Total decisions 18,185 18,291 20,019 18,003 16,218 
		
	
	(21)Figures up to February 2006
	I hope this is helpful.

Attendance Allowance

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the longest period was between a claim for attendance allowance being approved and the first payment being made in the last year for which figures are available.

Anne McGuire: The administration of attendance allowance is a matter for the chief executive of the disability and carers service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Terry Moran, dated 21 March 2006
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the longest period was between a claim for attendance allowance being approved and the first payment being made in the last year for which figures are available.
	The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service.
	The information that you requested is not available.
	I am sorry I cannot be more helpful.

Benefit Disregards

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost of disregarding for all benefits earned income up to the value of £80.80 per week from any work undertaken by any claimant.

James Plaskitt: Such an estimate could be made only at disproportionate cost.

Child Support

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in respect of how many children child maintenance payments were received in each year since 1997.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 7 March 2006
	The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to my right hon. Friend with the information requested.
	Letter from Hilary Reynolds
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. As the Chief Executive is currently on leave, I am responding on his behalf.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in respect of how many children child maintenance payments were received in each year since 1997.
	The information requested is provided in the attached table.
	As you are aware, maintenance is paid on the basis of cases, each of which may be associated with one or more qualifying children. The Agency's data reflects this.
	You will note from the table that the number of children associated with cases in receipt of maintenance, or with a Maintenance Direct arrangement in place, fell between February 2003 and February 2005. This is part of a larger trend, and the ratio of children per case has fallen steadily between February 1997 and December 2005. However the overall number of cases benefiting has continued to increase throughout this period.
	I hope you find this helpful.
	
		The number of cases that were receiving maintenance payments via the collection service or have a Maintenance Direct arrangement in place and the number of children this equates to. February 1997 to December 2005
		
			  Number of cases in receipt of maintenance, via collection service Number of cases with a Maintenance Direct arrangement in place Total cases Number of children 
		
		
			 February 1997 132,000 64,000 196,000 307,000 
			 February 1998 170,000 76,000 246,000 378,000 
			 February 1999 212,000 87,000 299,000 453,000 
			 February 2000 246,000 98,000 344,000 516,000 
			 February 2001 262,000 97,000 358,000 532,000 
			 February 2002 269,000 98,000 367,000 537,000 
			 February 2003 283,000 86,000 369,000 536,000 
			 February 2004 — — — — 
			 February 2005 288,000 90,000 378,000 527,000 
			 December 2005 302,000 106,000 408,000 561,000 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Robust data from the new IT system (CS2) covering period March 2003 to March 2004 are not currently available, and is under development.
	2.Maintenance Direct is an arrangement in which the Agency have carried out a maintenance calculation or assessment, and the non resident parent then pays his/her maintenance liability directly to the parent with care. As the Agency is no longer directly involved in the case, it is not possible to say definitively if payment is received where such an arrangement is in place.
	3.December 2005 is the latest data currently available.
	4.Figures rounded to the nearest thousand.

Child Support

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total cost of administering child support maintenance debt has been in each year since 1993.

James Plaskitt: The information requested is not available. Current accounting systems do not enable the Child Support Agency to match costs with specific outputs.

Departmental Contracts

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many members of staff employed by his Department are on temporary contracts.

Anne McGuire: As at 31 January 2006 the Department for Work and Pensions employed a total of 5,096 FTE staff on temporary contracts. Of this total, 2,076 were staff on fixed term appointments and 3,020 were staff on short term temporary contracts.

Departmental Expenditure

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many widescreen televisions have been purchased by his Department for use in London headquarters in each of the last five years; and what the cost was in each year.

Anne McGuire: Wide screen televisions are not capitalised on our balance sheet as they fall below the £5,000 threshold for office machinery. We do not have any wide screen televisions on the fixed asset register.

Departmental Staff

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobs in his Department have been relocated to Wales since 2001.

Anne McGuire: The basis of the Department's relocation strategy resulting from the Lyons' review is to relocate posts rather than people. Information on the number of posts relocated from London and the south-east to Wales between 1 June 2003 and 28 February 2006 is contained in the following table:
	
		
			 Location Number of posts 
		
		
			 Cwmbran 286 
			 Wrexham 510 
			 Pembroke Dock 386 
			 Bridgend 77

Disability Allowance

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many young people have been registered for disability allowance in West Lancashire constituency in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: The administration of disability living allowance is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested.
	Letter from Terry Moran
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many young people have been registered for disability allowance in West Lancashire constituency in each year since 1997.
	The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service.
	The requested information is in the following table:
	
		All disability living allowance cases in entitlement for under-16s in West Lancashire parliamentary constituency as at August each year from 1997 to 2005
		
			  All entitled cases (thousand) 
		
		
			 2005 0.5 
			 2004 0.5 
			 2003 0.5 
			 2002 0.4 
			 2001 0.5 
			 2000 0.6 
			 1999 0.5 
			 1998 0.5 
			 1997 0.5 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Totals show cases either in payment or suspended.
	2.Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by postcode using ONS data.
	3.Definitions and Conventions:
	Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study for totals and 5 per cent. for older time series.
	I hope this is helpful.

Housing Allowance

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2006, Official Report, column 1550W, on benefits, whether he expects to be able to provide an estimate of the cost of a national rollout of local housing allowance before the final decision on the amount of transitional funding is announced.

James Plaskitt: The cost estimates of the national roll out of the local housing allowance will cover the impact on benefit expenditure and expenditure required to cover the transitional administrative costs of introducing the local housing allowance. Both these cost estimates will be determined by the final design of the local housing allowance. This will depend on the findings of the ongoing evaluation of the local housing allowance in the pathfinder areas and the outcome of the Welfare Reform Green Paper consultation A New Deal for Welfare: Empowering People to Work".

Housing Benefit

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 27 February 2006, Official Report, column 247W, on housing benefit, 
	(1)  how many people he estimates will have their housing benefit withdrawn as a result of antisocial behaviour in each year; and with which local authorities he is discussing pilot schemes to withdraw housing benefit as a result of antisocial behaviour;
	(2)  whether he plans to include provisions for withdrawing housing benefit as a result of antisocial behaviour in the forthcoming Welfare Reform Bill;
	(3)  pursuant to the answer of 27 February 2006, Official Report, column 247W, on housing benefit, if he will list the relevant bodies, stakeholders and experts he plans to consult informally on his plans to withdraw housing benefit as a result of antisocial behaviour.

James Plaskitt: The Government announced in the Respect Action Plan, published on 10 January, that it is considering the use of sanctions to ensure that those households who are evicted for antisocial behaviour take up the help offered to them. We are currently assessing this idea more fully before deciding who to consult and whether to legislate. We have not held discussions about piloting with any local authorities.

Housing Benefit

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of (a) disabled claimants and (b) care leavers under-25 years are (i) exempt from and (ii) subject to the single room rate restriction on housing benefit.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the average duration of awards of incapacity benefit and income support made to those with myalgic encephalomyelitis in Lancaster and Wyre has been in the last three years;
	(2)  how many people with myalgic encephalomyelitis have been awarded (a) incapacity benefit and (b) income support in Lancaster and Wyre on the basis of incapacity for work in the last 12 months;
	(3)  how many awards of incapacity benefit and income support have been made to patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis in Lancaster and Wyre (a) on the basis of and (b) without a report from an examining medical practitioner.

Anne McGuire: Due to the very small numbers of claimants involved it is not possible to accurately estimate the information requested in relation to incapacity benefit. No information is available in relation to income support.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many medical appeals concerning individuals diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis were heard in (a) 2003, (b) 2004 and (c) 2005.

Anne McGuire: The information is not available; records are not kept broken down by claimants' diagnoses.

Parliamentary Questions

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will be in a position to answer question numbers 50674, 50675, 50676, 50698 and 50699 tabled by the right hon. Member for Birkenhead on 7 February 2006.

Anne McGuire: I refer my right hon. Friend to the replies for all the questions as follows:
	Question 50674 on 27 February 2006, Official Report, column244W
	Questions 50675, 50676, 50698 and 50699 on 16 February 2006, Official Report, column 2436W.

Parliamentary Questions

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will answer question 39638, tabled on 19 December 2005, on debt centres.

James Plaskitt: A reply was given to the hon. Member on 8 March 2006, Official Record, column 1547W.

Pensions

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much of the increase in the estimated levy required by the Pension Protection Fund is accounted for by (a) increased longevity and (b) lower interest rates; and what assumptions were used to calculate each in (i) 2003 and (ii) 2005.

Stephen Timms: The approaches taken by the Government Actuary's Department (GAD) when arriving at a levy estimate in 2003 and that of the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) are not directly comparable.
	However, GAD have recently updated their original estimate to September 2005 to reflect (a) changes in the level of schemes' assets and (b) GAD's broad assessment of the cost of funding the difference between those assets and the cost to the PPF of paying the PPF level of compensation. No other changes were made to update the model. The updated estimate of the PPF levy was £560 million, an increase of £260 million over the RIA estimate, which is broadly comparable with the PPF's levy estimate of £575 million. It is estimated that:
	(a) £60 million of this increase relates to changes in the level of schemes' assets, together with the effect of changes to the relevant market interest rates on the liabilities ; and
	(b) The balance of £220 million relates to changes in the mortality assumptions which reflected similar changes to the assumptions used by insurance companies when setting buy-out terms.
	The original £300 million was a rounded estimate, which explains why the figures do not add up precisely.

Pensions

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners who would be able to commute their pension benefits to a lump sum because of serious ill-health if provision 08100080 of the Registered Pension Scheme Manual took effect in the event of a diagnosis of terminal illness regardless of life expectancy.

Ivan Lewis: I have been asked to reply.
	Information about the number of pension scheme members likely to be diagnosed as terminally ill, regardless of life expectancy, is not available. So it is not possible to estimate the number of pensioners who would be able, regardless of life expectancy, to commute their pension benefits to a lump sum using the serious ill-health provisions described in paragraph 08100080 of the Registered Pension Scheme Manual.

Pensions

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners were able to commute their pension benefits to a lump sum in 2004–05 because of serious ill-health under provision 08100080 of the Registered Pension Scheme Manual.

Ivan Lewis: I have been asked to reply.
	The serious ill-heath provisions explained in paragraph 08100080 of the Registered Pension Scheme Manual apply from 6 April onwards. So no pensioners commuted their pension benefits to lump sum under these provisions in the last year.

Private Office Costs

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost of his private office was in the last year for which figures are available.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions spent £600,000 on the Secretary of State's private office in the financial year 2004–05. This figure includes both staff and non-staff costs, and includes the costs for the Secretary of State's special advisers and their support team.

Shared Rooms

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average shared room rate has been in each of the local housing allowance pathfinder areas.

James Plaskitt: The available information is in the following table.
	
		Average shared room rate set by rent officers in local housing allowance pathfinders, March 2004–March 2006 -- £
		
			  March 
			  2004 2005 2006 
		
		
			 Blackpool 48 50 50 
			 Brighton 67 70 75 
			 Conwy (22)39 39 45 
			 Coventry 48 50 50 
			 Edinburgh (22)61 62 65 
			 Leeds 50 50 50 
			 Lewisham 85 81 86 
			 North East Lincolnshire 44 44 44 
			 Teignbridge 54 60 61 
		
	
	(22)Figures are for April 2004.
	Notes:
	1.Figures are the shared room rates set by rent officers averaged across the broad rental market areas within each pathfinder.
	2.The shared room rate is the maximum housing benefit to which a claimant is entitled and does not necessarily represent the amount of housing benefit in payment.
	Source:
	Rent Registration Service, Scotland; Rent Officer Service, Wales; and the Rent Service, England. March 2004–06.

Spending Review (Efficiency Targets)

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much of the agreed efficiency target for his Department set out in the 2004 Spending Review is to be cashable; and under what budget headings these cashable efficiency savings will be re-spent.

James Plaskitt: The agreed financial target for DWP in the 2004 Spending Review was that the Department willrealise total annual efficiency gains of at least £960 million by 2007–08 of which at least half will be cashable. The financial settlement for the years 2005–06 to 2007–08 was made net of the planned financial efficiencies so that DWP will achieve its efficiency target by living within the financial allocation already made. As such there are no funds available to DWP to be re-spent.

Unemployment (Liverpool, Riverside)

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the rates of unemployment among racial and ethnic minority groups in Liverpool, Riverside.

Margaret Hodge: Within the Liverpool, Riverside constituency the Granby ward is a designated priority ward because of its high level of unemployment and high concentration of ethnic minorities. According to the 2001 census, ethnic minorities made up 30.7 per cent. of the population (aged 16–74), and the overall rate of unemployment stood at 26.0 per cent. Across the constituency as a whole the overall rate of unemployment was 15.0 per cent. and 23.4 per cent. for ethnic minorities. The rate of inactivity was 51.7 per cent. overall and 57.2 per cent. for ethnic minorities. The latest benefit statistics (August 2005), show that there are 10,700 people receiving incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance and 10,400 income support claimants across the constituency.
	The Department looks at local information on deprivation, need and diversity to help target the services we deliver. We use this data to help us with our resources allocation across Jobcentre Plus. We give higher priority to wards with high levels of unemployment (one and a half times the national average) and high concentrations of ethnic minorities (three times the national average). Granby is one such ward.
	Tackling the problems of inner cities is central to meeting our aims of increasing prosperity and countering social exclusion. Our recently published Green Paper sets out our proposals.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Evesham Technology

Michael Foster: To ask the Leader of the House whether Evesham Technology made a bid to supply hon. Members with their computing needs.

Nigel Griffiths: Evesham Technology was one of 30 companies who replied to the advertisement for expressions of interest in the contract for upgrading hon. Members' IT equipment. It was not one of the 6shortlisted companies invited to tender.

TRANSPORT

Railways

Neil Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding the Government will provide to the rail network in 2006–07.

Derek Twigg: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made a statement to Parliament on 10 February 2005 setting out the Government's funding plans for the railway. This shows that some £5.8 billion of Government funds will be spent on the Railway in 2006–07.

Railways

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to improve the marketing of railway services.

Derek Twigg: The marketing of rail services is a matter for their operators.

Noise Pollution

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on Government policy on noise pollution from airports in the South East.

Derek Twigg: Our basic aim is to limit and, where possible, reduce the number of people in the UK significantly affected by aircraft noise. This aim applies to the South East as it does to the rest of the UK.
	The Government set noise-related operating restrictions at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports, which include departure noise limits and night flying restrictions. At other airports, a range of similar measures are implemented by the airports themselves, responding to local circumstances.
	In The Future of Air Transport" white paper we set out the measures we wish to see larger UK airports (with over 50,000 movements a year, by jet aircraft over 34,000 kg) apply as a benchmark for mitigating aircraft noise.

Concessionary Bus Fares Scheme

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the implementation of the concessionary bus fares scheme.

Stephen Ladyman: From 1 April 2006, 11 million people in England, aged 60 and over, or with disabilities, will be guaranteed free off-peak local bus travel for the first time.

Concessionary Bus Fares Scheme

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the likely impact on other services of free bus fares for pensioners in Tyne and Wear; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Darling: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister—the department responsible for local government funding—continues to talk to Tyne and Wear about the funding for concessionary fares.

A11 (Fiveways Roundabout)

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will announce the conclusion of his investigation into whether improvements to the Fiveways roundabout on the A11 should be carried out.

Stephen Ladyman: The study has been completed and I am considering the recommendations alongside the advice from Regions associated with the regional funding allocations exercise.

A21

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Highways Agency has plans to seek compulsory purchase orders on properties along the A21 between Flimwell and Robertsbridge.

Stephen Ladyman: We are currently considering the advice from the south east region on the region's transport priorities, including schemes on the A21, as well as other schemes in the south east. We plan to make an announcement later this year.

A21

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received regarding the proposed A21 upgrade; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: We are currently considering the South East region's advice on the priority it attaches to the upgrade of the A21 within the indicative funding allocation for major transport schemes in the South East. No other recent representations have been received. We hope to announce our response to the South East region's advice later this year.

A21

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to publish the draft orders for the proposed A21 upgrade.

Stephen Ladyman: We are currently considering the advice from the South East Region on transport priorities, including schemes on the A21, as well as other schemes in the South East. We plan to make an announcement later this year.

A47/A11

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost of developing route management studies for the (a) A47/A12 and (b) A11 has been.

Stephen Ladyman: The Highways Agency has carried out route management strategy studies that have resulted in Route Management Strategies.
	The Agency's expenditure for developing the A47/A12 Route Management Strategy from 2002 to 2005 was £195,000.
	The expenditure for developing the A11 Route Management Strategy, including an update, from 2003 to 2005 was £118,000.
	The Agency estimates that it will spend a further £1,000 a year to produce an annual update of these two route management strategies.

A47/A11

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with (a) Ministerial colleagues and (b) others about the impact on (i) the economy and (ii) regeneration of the local area of upgrading the (A) A47 and (B) A11.

Stephen Ladyman: I discuss a wide range of transport issues, including road schemes, and their impact on (i)the economy and (ii) regeneration with Ministerial colleagues and others on a regular basis.

A555

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on funding for the proposed A555 relief road.

Stephen Ladyman: We are currently considering proposals for this scheme and will make an announcement in due course.

British Transport Police

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many British Transport Police have been employed in each year since 1997 in (a) England, (b) the North East and (c) the boroughs of the Tees Valley sub-region.

Derek Twigg: The British Transport Police (BTP) have provided the following information on the number of police employed in each year since 1997 in (a) England and Wales and (b) the North East. A figure for England alone is not available as one of BTP's operational areas, Wales and Western", covers both England and Wales.
	The data requested is not collected broken down by boroughs and therefore can only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  England and Wales BTP North Eastern Area 
		
		
			 1997–98 1,898 195 
			 1998–99 1,906 205 
			 1999–2000 1,874 197 
			 2000–01 1,907 192 
			 2001–02 1,920 188 
			 2002–03 2,001 193 
			 2003–04 2,073 197 
			 2004–05 2,283 205

Bus Routes (West Lancashire)

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many bus routes are operating in West Lancashire.

Stephen Ladyman: The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) holds information on bus services broken down by traffic area. West Lancashire is in the north western traffic area where there are 4,399 bus routes currently operating. To break this data down by constituency can be done only at disproportionate cost.

Cabin Air Supply

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 30 January 2006, Official Report, column 17W, to the hon. Member for Tamworth (Mr. Jenkins), on cabin air supply, what progress has been made in assessing the merits of participating in Federal Aviation Administration research into cabin air quality and long-term health.

Derek Twigg: We are awaiting the outcome of the evidence review being conducted by the independent Committee on Toxicity (COT) before taking a view. The COT process should provide us with a clearer idea of any future research requirements and place us in a better position to evaluate possible participation in the American study funded by the FAA. The FAA funding was not, of course, reliant on UK participation.

Cabin Air Supply

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has received the report from Boeing on Aerotoxic Syndrome affecting pilots during flight; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: We are not aware of any recent reports by Boeing on aerotoxic syndrome."
	The Department for Transport does not want anyone travelling by air to be exposed to serious health risks. We have arranged for the independent Committee on Toxicity (COT) to conduct an evidence review of any such risks in cabin air. This process is under way and the formal COT meeting will be held in public in May or July this year.

Cargo Transfers

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the process is by which regulation (a) 48 and (b) 49 of the Conservation (Natural Habitats etc.) Regulations 1994 (as amended) is applied to assess the implications for European wildlife sites of ship-to-ship transfers of oil and other chemicals (i) in harbour authority areas and (ii) elsewhere in UK territorial waters; and what assessment he has made of the compliance of each process with the requirements of the EU habitats directive.

Stephen Ladyman: Regulations 48 and 49 of the Habitats Regulations do not apply to the ship-to-ship transfer of oils or other chemicals. They apply to applications for planning consent.

Cargo Transfers

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how his Department monitors the ship-to-ship transfer of oil and other chemicals within UK harbour limits.

Stephen Ladyman: The Merchant Shipping (Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation Convention) Regulations 1998 require harbour authorities to have contingency plans which meet the requirements of those regulations. There is a further requirement to report any pollution, including pollution from ship-to-ship transfers, to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Cargo Transfers

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will assess the compliance of the consenting regime for ship-to-ship transfer of oil in UK territorial waters with UK Government responsibilities under the EU habitats directive, with particular reference to (a) the assessment of plans or projects likely to have an effect on European wildlife sites, (b) the consideration of alternative solutions and of imperative reasons of over-riding public interest in the case of plans or projects assessed as likely to have an adverse impact on the integrity of European wildlife sites and (c) European protected species.

Stephen Ladyman: There is no UK consenting regime governing the practice of ship-to-ship transfers. As a competent authority under the EU habitats directive the MCA has regard to the requirements of the directive, where relevant, in the exercise of its functions.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which organisations other than the police are able to access information from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency on car registrations and owners.

Stephen Ladyman: Information held on the DVLA vehicle register is lawfully released under Regulation 27 of the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 2002". Regulation 27 allows DVLA to release information to the police, local authorities investigating an offence or decriminalised parking contravention, and anyone who has 'reasonable cause' for wanting the information made available to him. 'Reasonable cause' is not defined in the legislation. Each request is considered individually on its merits and no organisations are explicitly included or excluded from being able to receive information.
	A review of the regulations governing the release of data is currently underway. I refer the hon. Member to my Written Statement of 2 December 2005, Official Report, columns 50–51WS.

First Great Western Timetable

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what responses were received from members of the public to the recent consultation on the Draft First Great Western Timetable from December 2006; and how he plans to respond to the issues raised.

Derek Twigg: The Department has received over 300 individual letters and emails, and three petitions regarding the consultation on the Draft First Great Western Timetable. First Great Western have also received 3350 individual emails and letters, and a number of petitions. We are now considering these responses.

High Occupancy Vehicle Lanes

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether motorcyclists will have access to the proposed (a) high occupancy vehicle and (b) carpool lanes on (i) the M1 and (ii) the M25.

Stephen Ladyman: I anticipate that motorcyclists will be allowed to use the high occupancy vehicle lanes (which are also known as car pool or car share lanes) which are to be built as part of the M1 junction 6A to 10 widening scheme and trialled between Junction 7 and 10. The final decision will be made once we have confirmed the exact details of the scheme, such as the lane to be used and the lane segregation arrangements, and we have satisfied ourselves that it would be safe for motorcyclists to use the lanes.
	We are continuing to investigate the scope for high occupancy vehicle lanes on M25, but decisions have not yet been made. Consequently it is too early to say what, if any, restrictions might be placed on their use.

High-speed Railway Track Systems

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the implementation of European Council Directive 96/48/EC in relation to ballastless high-speed railway track systems.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 20 March 2006
	The Directive 96/48/EC is applicable to UK high speed railways and ballastless track is permitted by the technical standards for interoperability subject to system verification.

House Building Targets

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the future transport needs of Norfolk in relation to the Government's house building targets for the county.

Stephen Ladyman: The draft East of England Plan, prepared by the East of England Regional Assembly, includes their proposals for future levels of housing and transport provision in Norfolk.
	These proposals were considered by an independent Panel at the recent Examination in Public into the Plan.The Panel's report is due to be submitted to Government mid-2006.
	Ministers look forward to receiving the Panel's recommendations and to considering these further in due course. We will then embark on a further public consultation before the Plan is finalised during spring 2007.

Improvement Schemes (Norfolk)

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the cost of completing the improvement schemes in the targeted programme of investments.

Stephen Ladyman: The targeted programme of improvements is subject to external cost pressures; including rising energy prices. A cost management action plan, which also includes a more detailed analysis of programme cost pressures will be completed shortly.

Joyriders

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many deaths were caused by joyriders in the Cleveland police area in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is not available.

King's Cross Station

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) timetable for and (b) cost is of the refurbishment and regeneration work at London's King's Cross station; what progress has been made with the project to date; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The London Underground works at King's Cross are being delivered in two phases. Phase 1 works, including the new western ticket hall and the refurbished and enlarged tube ticket hall, are due to be completed this year. The current programme shows a completion date for the phase 2 works, which include the new northern ticket hall, in 2010. The northern ticket hall works re-commenced on site in March 2006.
	Network Rail is planning to complete the construction of a new Western concourse at King's Cross by the 2012 Olympics. The western concourse project is in the design stage and applications to the planning authority are expected later this year.
	The total cost of the London Underground and Network Rail western concourse works is around £1billion.
	Network Rail is also planning to carry out renewal work to the fabric of King's Cross station and this project is in the initial planning stages.

M1

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he next expects widening of the M1 motorway to be carried out, apart from the stretch of motorway north of junction 8; and at which locations.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 20 March 2006
	The M1 widening schemes are expected at the locations and at the times specified as follows:
	
		
			 Scheme Start of works date 
		
		
			 M1 J6A-10 Widening March 2006 
			 M1 J10–13 Widening Late summer 2008(23) 
			 M1 J21–30 Widening (Contract 1) Summer 2007 
			 M1 J21–30 Widening (Contract 2) Autumn 2009 
			 M1 J31–32 Widening Autumn 2006 
			 M1 J30-J31 and J32-J42 Anticipated start of works summer  2010(24) 
		
	
	(23)Dependent on completion of M1 J6A-10 widening.
	(24)Delivery of these schemes is subject to funding and completion of statutory procedures.

Mini-motorbikes

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what data his Department collects on accidents involving mini-motorbikes.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 14 March 2006
	Personal injury road accident data in Great Britain are collected by the police and reported to the Department using the STATS19 accident report format. While motorised mini-motorbikes involved in personal injury accidents on public roads will be recorded in STATS 19, they are not identified as a distinct group of vehicles.
	The vast majority of these vehicles do not meet the required European and UK technical standards for road vehicles, cannot be road-registered and must not be used on our public roads, footpaths, bridleways or cycle tracks. Where they are used illegally or antisocially the police have a range of powers under road traffic law and the Police Reform Act 2002 which can be used against offenders.
	The Department for Transport is aware that there have been a number of accidents involving these vehicles and considering the safety and other issues raised by mini-motorbikes.

Mobile Telephones

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps are being taken to encourage mobile telephone operators to use existing Network Rail infrastructure along tracks for transmission purposes.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 20 March 2006
	This is an operational matter for Network Rail who will reply directly to the hon. Member.

Motor Cycle Licences

Shahid Malik: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the Answer of 15 November 2005, Official Report, column 1141W, on motorcycle licences, what progress has been made towards political agreement with EU partners on the proposed new European Community Directive on driving licences, with particular reference to the proposals for new requirements in respect of motorcycles.

Stephen Ladyman: The proposed Directive was discussed at the Transport Council in December 2005 but agreement was not achieved. Negotiations on this dossier continue. The next Transport Council will take place on 27 March 2006.

Motorway Signage (Advertising)

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on the use of brand advertising on motorway signage.

Stephen Ladyman: Current policy and regulations permit the name and logo of the motorway service area (MSA) operator in their house style to be displayed on a header board above the advance informatory half-mile and slip road signs before each MSA. In addition the names of the operators of the next three MSAs may be shown using the standard motorway alphabet on a sign sited one mile in advance of each MSA. No other company names or logos may be displayed.

Network Rail

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to allow Network Rail to finance capital projects beyond the existing Government indemnity; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The Financial Indemnity provided by the Secretary of State for Transport allows Network Rail to raise sufficient finance for all its planned investment projects.

Night Flights

Laura Moffatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the (a) environmental and (b) economic impact of night flights at (i) Gatwick, (ii) Stansted and (iii) Heathrow airports.

Derek Twigg: Chapter 4 and Annex C of the Stage One consultation document on night flying restrictions at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted set out our assessment of the environmental impact of night flying at each of these airports, as required by Directive 2002/30/EC. On the basis of the evidence available to us, including the responses to Stage One, the Stage Two consultation document then set out environmental objectives, and proposed noise-abatement objectives, for each airport.
	The Government's consideration of the economic impact of night flying takes account of the combined effects on the national economy of night flights at the designated airports, Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted.
	A broad statement on the economic importance of night flying at the designated airports was made in the draft regulatory impact assessment published in the stage two consultation document on night flying restrictions at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, published on 10 June 2005.
	We acknowledged in the stage two consultation that responses to the stage one consultation had not provided a comprehensive picture of the economic impact of night flights and of night restrictions. The stage two consultation therefore made a specific request for further information to inform the Government's decision-making. The consultation closed on 16 September 2005 and the Department for Transport is analysing responses from consultees.
	A final Regulatory Impact Assessment will be published when the decision on night flying restrictions is announced in due course, as will a summary of consultation responses.

Rail Services

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 1 February 2006, Official Report, column 556W, on trains, what five train services had the highest number of passengers in excess of capacity levels in each of the 10 largest cities in the UK.

Derek Twigg: Passengers in Excess of Capacity (PIXC) applies to weekday commuter trains arriving in London between 07:00 and 09:59 and those departing between 16:00 and 18:59.
	The five train services serving London with the highest levels of Passengers In Excess Of Capacity in autumn 2005 were:
	
		
			 Train operating company  Departs  From  To  Arrives Passenger capacity Passenger load PIXC (number of passengers) Load factor (percentage) 
		
		
			 One 08:02 Cambridge London Liverpool Street 09:19 234 433 199 185 
			 Thameslink 16:33 Sutton Luton 18:04 412 618 206 150 
			 Southern 07:51 London Victoria London Bridge (via Clapham Junction) 08:36 635 944 309 149 
			 WAGN 18:15 London Kings Cross Cambridge 19:09 494 713 219 144 
			 South West Trains 08:04 Isleworth London Waterloo 08:43 792 1138 346 144 
		
	
	The PIXC measure does not apply to other cities in the UK and such information cannot be provided, due to the disproportionate cost in resource required to extract this in the format requested.

Road Budget (Lancashire)

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding Lancashire county council has received from his Department for its road budget in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The funding provided directly to Lancashire county council since 1997 is provided in the following table. The integrated transport block funding can be used for local highways or public transport capital projects. It is for Lancashire to determine how that allocation has been spent, in line with its local transport plan and its priorities. Lancashire did not receive any expenditure for major road schemes, costing over £5 million, in this timeframe.
	
		Lancashire county council -- £ million
		
			  1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 
		
		
			 Integrated Transport Block 2.203 3.833 4.200 11.200 11.922 12.051 13.033 11.000 
			 Capital Highways Maintenance 1.465 3.048 6.096 16.630 17.782 13.337 16.176 14.865

Road Building Programme

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the Government's road building programme.

Stephen Ladyman: We are making good progress on delivering our programme of major improvements to the strategic road network. Since 2001, we have completed 36 major trunk road and motorway schemes, including the M6 Toll. 15 schemes are currently under construction and the Highways Agency's Business Plan identifies a further 27 schemes which are planned to start construction by April 2008. In the three years to 2007–08, we plan to spend £1.9 billion on major improvement schemes on the trunk road and motorway network.

Road Closures

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many unscheduled (a) road and (b) lane closures due to road accidents there have been on the motorways and trunk road network in the last 12 months; what the average duration of such closure was in each local authority area; and what assessment he has made of the average cost to the economy of such closures.

Stephen Ladyman: In the 12 month period March 2005 to February 2006, the Highways Agency's National Traffic Control Centre (NTCC) recorded 8,590 accidents resulting in partial or total road closure of greater than 15 minutes' duration, on the English Strategic Road Network. Records are not kept centrally on other more minor incidents. The following table shows the monthly breakdown of the NTCC figures. Assessment of the cost to the economy of unplanned closures is not routinely undertaken.
	
		Road accidents -- Number
		
			 Month Lane closure Total road closure Total 
		
		
			 March 2005 503 162 665 
			 April 2005 475 180 655 
			 May 2005 551 201 752 
			 June 2005 559 187 746 
			 July 2005 557 171 728 
			 August 2005 577 181 758 
			 September 2005 468 178 646 
			 October 2005 512 191 703 
			 November 2005 545 215 760 
			 December 2005 620 224 844 
			 January 2006 486 156 642 
			 February 2006 502 189 691 
			 Total 6355 2235 8590 
		
	
	The average duration of these events, from their identification through to conditions returning to normal, was 2.5 hours. A table showing NTCC records by local authority has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Road Traffic Accidents (Wild Animals)

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the cost of requiring the Motoring Insurance Bureau to act as the insurer of last resort in respect of personal injury claims resulting from collisions between motor vehicles and wild animals.

Stephen Ladyman: We have made no assessment.

South-west Franchise (Bidding Process)

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will make public the documents concerning the South West franchise bidding process.

Derek Twigg: The South Western Franchise Consultation document was published in November 2005. The conclusions drawn from the stakeholder consultation and the specification against which bids are to be prepared is planned to be issued in early April.
	The invitation to tender documentation is scheduled to be issued at the end of March and will be restricted to the participating bidders during the competitive tendering process. It will then be available after the successful franchisee is announced which is anticipated to be in the autumn.

South-west Franchise (Bidding Process)

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which routes and stations in the South West franchise area will be closed as a consequence of the Government's specification document, for the bidding process for the train operating companies.

Derek Twigg: None.

Thameslink 2000

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had on the funding of the first phase of Thameslink 2000.

Derek Twigg: The Department for Transport will not be in a position to consider funding of this project in advance of any decision on Network Rail's application for a Transport and Works Act Order and other related planning applications.

Track Maintenance

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of litter, rubbish and debris on railway lines on the effective operation of train companies' timetables.

Derek Twigg: This is the responsibility of Network Rail and the train operating companies, who have a number of measures in place to minimise the effects of litter, rubbish and debris on the running of trains.

Train Franchises

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the pre-qualification document for the (a) Virgin Cross-Country, (b) East Midlands and (c) West Midlands franchise will be released.

Derek Twigg: It is anticipated that the advertisement inviting prospective bidders to submit applications to pre-qualify for the Cross Country, West Midlands and East Midlands franchises will be issued in June 2006.

Transport Spending (Norfolk)

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the likely impact of planning gain supplement on future transport spending in Norfolk.

Stephen Ladyman: The Government recently consulted on how planning gain supplement (PGS) might fund additional investment in the local and strategic infrastructure to support housing growth, and is currently considering responses to that consultation.

PRIME MINISTER

Wilson Doctrine

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his written statement of 15 December 2005, Official Report, column 173WS, on the Wilson Doctrine, when he expects to make a further statement.

Tony Blair: I have nothing further to add to my written ministerial statement, 15 December 2005, Official Report, column 173WS and my answers at Prime Minister's Questions on 18 and 25 January.

HEALTH

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department (a) has undertaken and (b) plans to undertake into the reasons for trends in the abortion rate in England and Wales between 2003 and 2004; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: While the 2004 abortion statistics showed a slight increase in the abortion rate per 1,000 resident women aged 15–44, the under 18 and under 16 abortion rates decreased. In addition, more abortions were performed at an earlier gestation. The 2004 statistics are available on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/11/75/74/04117574.pdf.
	It is a key aim of the Government to reduce unintended pregnancy rates, as featured in both the sexual health and teenage pregnancy strategies, and provision of good quality contraceptive services are essential to achieve this. We are investing £40 million over the next two years to improve access to contraceptive services. We have asked primary care trusts (PCTs) to complete a national questionnaire of contraceptive services. The results will inform the publication of best practice guidance by the Department and will help PCTs determine how best to meet gaps in local services. In addition, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has published guidance on long-acting methods of contraception which should raise awareness and usage of all the methods.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to publish the abortion statistics for 2005; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The annual 2005 abortion statistics will be published by the Department in July 2006. Provisional abortion data for January to September 2005 is available in the Office for National Statistics' publication Health Statistics Quarterly 29 at: www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/HSQ29.pdf.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which 10 primary care organisations had the (a) highest and (b) lowest abortion rates in England and Wales per 1000 women aged 15 to 44 in 2004.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is contained within the 2004 abortion statistics for England and Wales which can be found in the Department's Statistical Bulletin 2005/11 and this is available on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/11/75/74/04117574.pdf

Agency Nurses

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many agency nurses were employed by the NHS in (a) Peterborough, (b) the Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk Strategic Health Authority area and (c) England in each of the past five years; and at what cost.

Liam Byrne: Information about the numbers of agency nurses employed locally is not collected centrally.

Alcohol Dependency

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how her Department's £15 million funding for alcohol dependency projects in 2007–08 will be allocated between treatment and preventative care.

Caroline Flint: Primary care trusts (PCTs) have been notified that £15 million per annum will be included within the PCTs general allocation from 2007–08 onwards to help PCTs improve their local arrangements for commissioning and delivering alcohol interventions.
	It is for each PCT to decide how best to allocate the funds made available to them from central Government.

Alcohol Dependency

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what Government funding is available to organisations helping people to overcome alcohol addiction; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The national health service spends an estimated £217 million on alcohol treatment services (alcohol needs assessment research project). Primary care trusts (PCTs) have been notified that £15 million per annum will be included within the PCTs' general allocation from 2007–08 onwards to help PCTs improve their local arrangements for commissioning and delivering alcohol interventions. PCTs may commission treatment from a range of provides, including voluntary bodies.

Alcohol-related Illness

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many incidences of alcohol-related illness have been treated within the NHS in Suffolk in each year since 1997.

Caroline Flint: The information in the table provides the number of finished consultant episodes and patients where there was a primary diagnosis of alcohol related diseases from 1997–98 to 2004–05 for the strategic health authority of residence for Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire national health service hospitals.
	
		Counts of finished consultant episodes and patients where there was a primary diagnosis code for selected alcohol related diseases(25) in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority, national health service hospitals, England 1997–98 to 2004–05
		
			 Year Finished consultant episodes 
		
		
			 1997–98 1,340 
			 1998–99 1,501 
			 1999–2000 1,719 
			 2000–01 1,872 
			 2001–02 1,893 
			 2002–03 2,001 
			 2003–04 2,387 
			 2004–05 2,902 
		
	
	(25)Alcohol related diseases defined as following ICD-10 codes recorded in primary diagnosis.
	F10: Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol.
	K70: Alcoholic liver disease.
	T51: Toxic effect of alcohol.

Ambulance Services (Sussex)

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the cost of restructuring ambulance services in Sussex; and what representations she has received about this.

Caroline Flint: The purpose of the proposed changes to configuration is to ensure that ambulance trusts have the capacity and the capability to fully realise the strategic vision for ambulance trusts set out in the recent review of ambulance services, Taking Healthcare to the Patient-Transforming NHS Ambulance Services". Taking Healthcare to the Patient" set out how the range and quality of services provided to patients by ambulance services should be improved, for example through the provision of quality call handling and advice, a wider range of services such as diagnostics and the management of long term conditions and even better care for patients with life-threatening conditions.
	While the purposes of these proposed changes are not to deliver cost-savings, we do expect efficiencies to be generated. Any efficiency savings that are made will, in the short-term, be set against the costs of transition, and in the longer-term be available for re-investment by the trust into improving patient care.
	Examples of areas in which efficiencies may be realised are management and administrative positions, headquarters and estates, and better use of resources. However, these decisions are a local matter and it is not for us to pre-empt them.
	The consultation for the proposed configuration of national health service ambulance trusts in England is being led by strategic health authorities (SHAs). SHAs will co-ordinate consultation locally and ensure that relevant authorities and interested parties are able to express their views. A full analysis of the responses received by the SHAs and the Department will be undertaken at the end of the consultation. The consultation will conclude on 22 March 2006.

Arthritis

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding the Government have provided for research into treatments for those suffering from arthritis in the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The main agency through which the Government support medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Technology.
	MRC expenditure on arthritis and rheumatism research in the last five years for which figures are available has been as follows:
	
		
			  Expenditure on research (£ million) 
		
		
			 1999–2000 4.8 
			 2000–01 3.9 
			 2001–02 4.2 
			 2002–03 6.8 
			 2003–04 6.8 
		
	
	The Department funds research to support policy and to provide the evidence needed to underpin quality improvement and service development in the national health service. The Department's national research programme spend on projects related to arthritis in the period from 1999 to 2005 was £1.7 million.
	The main part of the Department's expenditure on health research is allocated to and managed by NHS organisations. Details of individual projects supported in the NHS, including a large number concerned with arthritis, can be found on the national research register at www.dh.gov.uk/research.

Audiology

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were training to become audiologists in the last period for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: The table shows the number of people training to become audiologists in 2004–05.
	
		
			  2004–05 
		
		
			 Grade A training for clinical scientists in audiology 22 
			 BSC in audiology 180 
			 Training for audiology technicians 33 
			 Diploma in hearing therapy 6

Audiology

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time is for (a) children's, (b) adults' and (c) all hearing tests for each NHS trust in (i) the county of Lancashire and (ii) West Lancashire constituency; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is not held centrally.

Autism

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are diagnosed with autism; and how many people were diagnosed in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is not held centrally. Diagnoses of autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) in hospitals is shown in the table.
	
		Number of finished consultant episodes involving a diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorders, by age at end of episode, England, 1997–98 to 2004–05
		
			  Age at end of episode 
			 Year 16 and under Aged over 16 Unknown All diagnoses 
		
		
			 2004–05 6,170 3,000 0 9,170 
			 2003–04 5,770 2,390 0 8,160 
			 2002–03 5,630 2,320 0 7,950 
			 2001–02 5,180 2,100 0 7,280 
			 2000–01 4,980 1,750 10 6,730 
			 1999–2000 4,200 1,490 0 5,680 
			 1998–99 4,030 1,470 10 5,510 
			 1997–98 3,100 1,110 10 1,220 
		
	
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS Health & Social Care Information Centre
	ASDs include childhood Autism, atypical Autism, Asperger's syndrome, Rett's syndrome, and other less common ASDs.

Benzodiazepine Addiction

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessments she has made of the number of long-term benzodiazepine addicts.

Caroline Flint: The Department has made no formal assessment of the number of long-term benzodiazepine addicts.
	The number of prescriptions for benzodiazepines has fallen significantly from 15.8 million in 1992 to 12.4 million in 2004 1 . However, with the exception of instalment prescribing for diazepam, a benzodiazepine, we are unable to distinguish between prescriptions issued to patients who are addicts and those who are not.
	1 The prescription information was obtained from the prescription cost analysis system and is based on a full analysis of all prescriptions dispensed in the community, that is, by community pharmacists and appliance contractors, dispensing doctors, and prescriptions submitted by prescribing doctors for items personally administered in England. Total prescriptions include not only prescriptions originating from general medical practitioners in England but also from hospital doctors, dentists and, up to March 1994, armed services doctors and dentists, provided they were dispensed in the community. Also included are prescriptions written in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man but dispensed in England. The data do not cover drugs dispensed in hospital or private prescriptions.

Benzodiazepine Addiction

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Healthwhat her latest estimate is of the number of benzodiazepine addicts in England; and what methods her Department uses to compile this information.

Caroline Flint: We do not have records centrally of the number of benzodiazepine addicts in England. Prescription information does not tell us how many repeat prescriptions for benzodiazepines are issued to the same person, so it is not possible to pinpoint how many people are dependent. However, the number of prescriptions has fallen significantly from 15.8 million in 1992 to 12.4 million in 2004 1 . With the exception of instalment prescribing for diazepam, a benzodiazepine, we are unable to distinguish between prescriptions issued to patients who are addicts and those who are not.
	1 The prescription information was obtained from the Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system and is based on a full analysis of all prescriptions dispensed in the community, that is, by community pharmacists and appliance contractors, dispensing doctors, and prescriptions submitted by prescribing doctors for items personally administered in England. Total prescriptions include not only prescriptions originating from general medical practitioners in England but also from hospital doctors, dentists and, up to March 1994, armed services doctors and dentists, provided they were dispensed in the community. Also included are prescriptions written in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man but dispensed in England. The data do not cover drugs dispensed in hospital or private prescriptions.

Bournemouth Primary Care Trust

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money from its reserve fund Bournemouth primary care trust is required to pay back to the strategic health authority within 2005–06.

Caroline Flint: I am informed by Dorset and Somerset strategic health authority (SHA), that Bournemouth teaching primary care trust has not returned any money to the Dorset and Somerset SHA in 2005–06.

Chlamydia Testing Kits

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will extend the scheme of offering free chlamydia kits at chemists in London to other areas of the country.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 16 February 2006
	Anevaluation of the chlamydia screening pathfinder project is being carried out concurrently with the London pilot. Decisions about whether to extend the scheme nationally will be made once the evaluation has reported.

Choose and Book

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Choose and Book System has cost to implement to date.

Liam Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for St. Albans (Anne Main) on 10 March 2006, Official Report, columns 1812–13W.

Colon cancer

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will reply to Question 56552 tabled by the hon. Member for Hertsmere on 1 March 2006, on bowel cancer screening.

Rosie Winterton: A reply was given on 15 March 2006, Official Report, column 2320W.

Community Pharmacies

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many community pharmacies in Ruislip-Northwood constituency have (a) opened and (b) closed since 1997.

Caroline Flint: Information on the number of community pharmacies by constituency is not collected centrally.
	However, information prior to 2002 is available by health authority (HA), and from 2002, by primary care trust (PCT). The Ruislip-Northwood constituency is currently served by Hillingdon PCT which also covers the Uxbridge, and Hayes and Harlington constituencies. It previously sat within Hillingdon HA (1997–2002).
	Table one shows the number of community pharmacies in Hillingdon HA between 1997 and 2002.
	Table two shows the number of community pharmacies in Hillingdon PCT from 2002 onwards.
	
		Table 1: Hillingdon Health Authority, 1997–98 to 2001–02
		
			  Total number of pharmacies in Hillingdon HA(26) Opened Closed 
		
		
			 1997–98 63 — — 
			 1998–99 62 — 1 
			 1999–00 62 — — 
			 2000–01 62 — — 
			 2001–02 62 — — 
		
	
	
		Table 2: By Hillingdon Primary Care Trust, 2002–03 onwards
		
			  Total number of pharmacies in Hillingdon PCT1 Opened Closed 
		
		
			 2002–03 62 — — 
			 2003–04 62 — — 
			 2004–05 62 — — 
		
	
	(26)As at 31 March of each year.
	Data on pharmacy numbers.
	From October 2002, PCTs took over responsibility for community pharmacies from HAs. Thereforedata on the number of pharmacies in England with NHS contracts is broken down to HA level until 2001–02, and PCT level from 2002–03 onwards. The change from HAs to PCTs may have resulted in some boundary changes and this is reflected in the data.
	Information on the number of community pharmacies is collected from PCTs via the annual PHS1 data collection. The latest data available on General Pharmaceutical Services (1994–95 to 2004–05) was published on 27 January 2006. See the following link for this publication: www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/genphmsvcengwaldecade05
	The survey collects information on openings and closures of community pharmacies. Changes of address, relocations within the PCT are excluded. However, pharmacy minor relocations across PCT boundaries are included as an opening or closure as appropriate. Establishments that close under old ownership and re-open under new ownership within 10 days are regarded as staying open, even if the period between closing and opening straddles review periods.
	Data for 2005–06 is not yet available.

Delayed Discharges

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many delayed discharges there were in acute hospitals serving the West Lancashire area in the last 12 months; and how many acute hospital bed nights these represented.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Acute delayed transfers of care, acute hospitals serving the West Lancashire area
		
			  Hospitals serving the West Lancashire area Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust Blackpool Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Trust Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 
			  Delayed transfers of care Number of days delayed Delayed transfers of care Number of days delayed Delayed transfers of care Number of days delayed Delayed transfers of care Number of days delayed Delayed transfers of care Number of days delayed 
		
		
			 March 2005 50 1,294 47 17 620 7 178 11 202 15 294 
			 April 2005 47 1,196 23 523 3 107 11 216 10 350 
			 May 2005 47 918 16 534 2 71 21 150 8 163 
			 June 2005 42 1,065 17 638 3 101 10 120 12 206 
			 July 2005 43 859 19 456 6 99 11 97 7 207 
			 August 2005 43 996 20 603 4 115 15 148 4 130 
			 September 2005 31 1,132 19 702 2 115 4 186 6 129 
			 October 2005 60 1,184 32 808 6 63 14 153 8 160 
			 November 2005 47 1,093 18 665 3 89 15 164 11 175 
			 December 2005 36 1,307 19 638 3 92 4 304 10 273 
			 January 2006 48 1,221 18 555 6 104 12 246 12 316 
			 February 2006 43 982 20 523 4 74 9 126 10 259 
		
	
	Source:
	SitReps.
	The delayed transfer of care figures are based on a snapshot taken on the last typical Thursday in the month. This differs to the day used in the separate, quarterly local delivery plans return (LDPR) commissioner collections on which the figures published in the Statistical Supplement to the chief executive's report to the NHS, December 2005 are based. The number of days delayed sums all delays in the month.
	Due to the way the data are collected, the number of days delayed data for March, June, September and December 2005 are based on five weeks' data—all other months are based on four weeks' data.

Departmental Staff

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many jobs from her Department have been relocated to Wales since 2001.

Liam Byrne: No jobs from the Department have been relocated to Wales since 2001.

Drug and Alcohol Misuse

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time is for treatment for alcohol misuse in each primary care trust area in the South East Region; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: This information is not held centrally.

Drug and Alcohol Misuse

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress her Department is making towards reducing average waiting times for treatment for alcohol misuse.

Caroline Flint: Taken from alcohol needs assessment research project (ANARP), the average waiting time for assessment was 4.6 weeks. The shortest average wait for a region was 3.3 weeks and the longest wait was 6.5weeks. The programme of improvement guidance and models of care for alcohol misuse are to follow.

ECJ Ruling 2006/C 36/16 OJ

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the likely effect of European Court of Justice ruling 2006/C 36/16, OJ 11 February 2006, upon UK businesses; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The United Kingdom Government supports the food safety measures contained in the Smoke Flavourings Regulation (EC 2065/2003/EC) and these remain in place following the judgement. A regulatory impact assessment was carried out on the impact of this regulation on UK businesses.
	No assessment has been made of the likely effect of the ruling from the European Court of Justice on UK businesses. The legal challenge was based entirely on the appropriateness of the legal base of the regulation.

Food Allergies

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding has been made available for research into food allergies and prevention measures in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) funds a large research programme on food intolerance and allergy. The aims of the programme are to provide information that will be useful for the development of policy and scientific advice in this area and to look at methods for the identification, assessment and monitoring of allergens in foodstuffs.
	Over the past five financial years the FSA has spent the following on research into food allergies and intolerance:
	
		
			 Financial year Spend on research (£) 
		
		
			 2004–05 887,285.52 
			 2003–04 838,715.05 
			 2002–03 987,585.33 
			 2001–02 1,647,383.34 
			 2000–01 1,987,656.60

Food Allergies

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the system of allergy warnings for food items; what representations she has received on the system; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Food Labelling (Amendment) (England) (No. 2) Regulations 2004 (SI 2004/2824) which came into force on 26 November 2004 established a list of 12 foods that have to be indicated by reference to the source allergen whenever they, or their derived ingredients, are used in pre-packed foods. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has made no assessment of the effectiveness of the legislation.
	Research carried out by the FSA in 2001 and 2002 showed that many consumers did not like the then current system of advisory labelling, often called may contain labelling. Consumers considered that the warnings were overused, that the variety of phrases used was confusing and that the warnings were hard to find and/or read.
	Consequently the FSA has set up a multi-stakeholder drafting group to produce best practice guidelines on when it is appropriate to use such labelling. Following a public consultation last year, the guidelines are being amended and are due to be published soon.

Food Allergies

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking towards implementing an improved system of warnings for consumers who have allergies to (a) peanuts and (b) milk products; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Food Labelling (Amendment) (England) (No. 2) Regulations 2004 (SI 2004/2824) which came into force on 26 November 2004 established a list of 12 foods that have to be indicated by reference to the source allergen whenever they, or their derived ingredients, are used in pre-packed foods, whatever the level of use. This list includes peanuts and milk.
	In addition to the above, the Food Standards Agency, with the aid of stakeholders, is currently drafting two sets of voluntary guidance for industry. The first is on the handling and labelling of pre-packed foods for accidental allergen cross-contamination (so called 'may contain' labelling) and the second is on the provision of allergen information for foods sold non-prepacked. Both sets of guidance include all 12 of the listed allergens.

Food Labelling

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) regulatory regime and (b) labelling requirements apply to the compatibility of mineral supplements for flour with vegetarian dietary requirements.

Caroline Flint: The Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 require the addition of calcium carbonate, iron, thiamin and nicotinic acid (or nicotinamide) to wheat flour other than wholemeal. The regulations do not specify any particular sources from which these substances must come. Further, the addition of these substances does not need to be indicated on the label.
	If a claim is made that any food is suitable for vegetarians or vegans, then all the ingredients should be from appropriate sources. The Food Standards Agency will shortly issue guidance on the use of these terms in food labelling.

Food Supplements Directive

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when she expects the European Commission to consult member states about the setting of maximum permitted levels for nutrients in food supplements under the provisions of Article 5 of the Food Supplements Directive; and what her objectives are for the outcome of the process;
	(2)  what steps she plans to take towards achieving her objectives in the EU in relation to the setting of maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements under the provisions of Article 5 of the Food Supplements Directive; when she last discussed these issues with (a) officials of the European Commission and (b) representatives of other member states; and what the outcome was of those meetings;
	(3)  when she next expects to meet representatives of consumers to discuss her strategy for achieving her objectives for the interpretation of Article 5 of the Food Supplements Directive;
	(4)  what further steps she plans to take to secure the continued presence on the market beyond 2009 of food supplements containing nutrients and nutrient sources which are not included in the list of permitted ingredients set out in the annexes to the Food Supplements Directive; and if she will make a statement;
	(5)  what assessment she has made of the implications for the setting of maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements of (a) recent developments in the establishment of international standards for such levels by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and (b) the recent report of the World Health Organisation Workshop held in Geneva on these issues;
	(6)  what assessment she has made of the implications for the setting of maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements under the provisions of the Food Supplements Directive of the outcome of the recent World Trade Organisation case in relation to barriers to trade in genetically modified organisms.

Caroline Flint: The European Commission has indicated that it will bring forward discussion documents in spring 2006 to consult member states about the setting of maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements. The board of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has considered this issue and proposed a two-tier approach with the use of advisory labelling statements where levels exceed those based on a scientific risk assessment. The objective is for this approach to be promoted in meetings with the European Commission and member states and in discussions on future documents from the Commission for meetings with stakeholders.
	Letters have been written to health Ministers in all member states and relevant members of the European Parliament informing them of the approach agreed by the FSA Board. Departmental officials last discussed these issues with the European Commission on 3 March. FSA officials met with officials at the Ministry for Health in the Netherlands on 7 March. Both meetings provided an opportunity for an exchange of views on the United Kingdom's position for setting maximum safe levels of vitamins and minerals in food supplements.
	Meetings were held with the organisation, Consumers for Health Choice on 15 March and with Which? on 16 March.
	The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) will be carrying out the assessment of the dossiers submitted in accordance with the food supplements directive, and is prioritising dossiers for assessment. It is the responsibility of companies who have submitted the dossiers to provide additional information to EFSA. Until EFSA begins its assessment it is unclear as to what the impact on the market beyond 2009 will be. We are continuing to explore with the Commission what further flexibility may be available in the directive after 2009.
	Both initiatives by CODEX and the recent report from the World Health Organisation take into account the need for maximum levels to be set based on scientific risk assessment, and this approach underlies the approach proposed by the FSA. A formal assessment of the implications for setting maximum safe levels of vitamins and minerals in food supplements following these publications has not been made.
	The final outcome of this case from the World Trade Organisation has yet to be published. An assessment of the implications for the setting of maximum levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements following the interim report case in relation to barriers to trade in genetically modified organisms has not therefore been made.

Foundation Trusts

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) role and (b) function local authority nominees have on the board of Foundation Trusts.

Liam Byrne: The role and function of the board of governors of a national health service foundation trust (NHS FTs), which includes local authority nominees, is to represent the interests of NHS FTs members in the local health economy. Their functions are set out in each NHS FTs constitution and tend to include:
	Feed back information about the Trust, its vision and its performance to members;
	Chair or attend relevant sub-committees;
	Appoint the non-executive directors, including the chair, of the trust;
	Appoint the trust's auditor;
	Working with the board of directors to produce plans for the future development of the trust;
	Receive copies of the trust's annual accounts, auditor's reports and annual reports; and;
	If concerns about the performance of the management board cannot be resolved at a local level, informing Monitor (the independent regulator for NHS FTs).

FRANK Campaign

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent by her Department on campaigns to raise awareness of the health effects of (a) illegal drugs, (b) tobacco and (c) alcohol in each year since 1997.

Caroline Flint: The FRANK campaign was launched in May 2003, which is a campaign administered jointly by the Department and the Home Office, and provides young people and their families with information and advice about drugs, including health effects. It is funded by the Home Office and the Department. Joint spending on media and advertising on FRANK is shown in table 1.
	
		Table 1: Spending on media and advertising
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 2003–04 3.7 
			 2004–05 1.9 
			 2005–06(27) 1.4 
			 (27) Planned  
		
	
	Costs for FRANK literature publishing, storage and distribution are shown in table 2.
	
		Table 2: Spending on literature, publishing storage and distribution
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 2003–04 368 
			 2004–05 402 
			 2005–06 (27)560 
		
	
	(27)Estimated to end of March 2006
	The figures shown in the table above relate to production, storage and distribution of FRANK public-facing literature and collateral. The Home Office funds production of all publications aimed at stakeholders. In addition, the Department funds the FRANK helpline and website.
	The Health Education Authority ran the public education campaign on the dangers of smoking prior to 1999–2000. The tobacco control campaign run by the Department was launched in December 1999.
	Table 3 shows advertising expenditure on the dangers of smoking from 1999–2000 to date.
	
		Table 3: Advertising expenditure
		
			 Financial year Tobacco control (£ million) 
		
		
			 1999–2000 6.18 
			 2000–01 8.97 
			 2001–02 7.79 
			 2002–03 7.87 
			 2003–04 17.76 
			 2004–05 25.00 
			 2005–06 23.00 
		
	
	There have been no advertising campaigns by the Department specifically on the dangers of excessive drinking in the last eight years.
	The Department has funded the production of a number of booklets or leaflets advising the public on sensible drinking. Expenditure for these is shown in table 4.
	
		Table 4: Expenditure on booklets or leaflets
		
			  Amount (£) 
		
		
			 2002–03 96,764 
			 2003–04 44,591 
			 2004–05 (28)39,954 
		
	
	(28)So far
	Additionally the Department funds the Drinkline helpline and a dedicated website.

General Practitioners

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioner practices have only one general practitioner in (a) West Lancashire and (b) Lancashire.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		General practitioner (GP) practices(29) for Cumbria and Lancashire Strategic Health Authority, as at 30 September 2004 -- Headcount
		
			   All GP practices of which: single-handed 
		
		
			 Q13 Cumbria and Lancashire 356 107 
			  Blackburn with Darwen   
			  Primary Care Trust (PCT) 33 12 
			  Blackpool PCT 25 6 
			  Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale PCT 42 12 
			  Carlisle and District PCT 21 7 
			  Chorley and South Ribble PCT 37 8 
			  Eden Valley PCT 14 4 
			  Fylde PCT 10 1 
			  Hyndburn and Ribble Valley PCT 24 12 
			  Morecambe Bay PCT 56 15 
			  Preston PCT 30 15 
			  West Cumbria PCT 21 1 
			  West Lancashire PCT 25 9 
			  Wyre PCT 18 5 
		
	
	(29)Figures relate to practitioners, excluding GP registrars and GP retainers, who are single-handed, that is had no partners although their practice may have a GP registrar or GP retainer. This figure cannot be replicated for earlier years.
	Source:
	General and Personal Medical Services Statistics NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre.

General Practitioners

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioner practices serving the West Lancashire constituency have lists which are open but full.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is not held centrally.

Genito-urinary Medicine

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of people who were unable to obtain an appointment at a genito-urinary medicine clinic on the day they attended the clinic in the last 12 months.

Caroline Flint: The genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinic waiting times audit collects data on waiting times for all GUM clinics in England for a period of one week every quarter. All patients attending a GUM clinic with a new episode or registering for the first time are asked to complete the short questionnaire on waiting times. This audit has been chosen as the method of monitoring and improving access to GUM services. Current analysis is published on numbers seen within 48 hours. The most recent survey is for November 2005 which shows that 49 per cent. of attendees were seen within 48 hours and a further four per cent. of attendees were offered an appointment within 48 hours but did not attend.
	A summary of the data is available on the Health Protection Agency's website at: www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hiv_and_sti/epidemiology/wtimes.htm

Genito-urinary Medicine

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2006, Official Report, column 1665W. on genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics, what percentage of attenders at genito-urinary medicine clinics were not given an appointment within two weeks in the November 2005 audit of GUM clinic waiting times by the Health Protection Agency.

Caroline Flint: The most recent audit of waiting times for genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics for which data are available was carried out in November 2005. This audit showed that 21 per cent. of attendees at GUM clinics were not seen within two weeks. However, some of these patients were offered an earlier appointment but could not attend.
	A summary of the November data is available on the Health Protection Agency's website at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hiv_and_sti/epidemiology/results_nov_2005.htm.
	Overall, the number of attendees at GUM clinics seen within 48 hours in England increased from 45 per cent. in May 2005 to 49 per cent. in November 2005.

Greater Manchester PCTs

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget surplus or deficit was in each (a) primary care trust, (b) acute services trust and (c) foundation hospital trust in the county of Greater Manchester in each year since 2000.

Liam Byrne: The final position of all primary care trusts, national health service trusts and strategic health authorities up to 2004–05 is available in the Library. The 2005–06 forecast position at month six of 2005–06 for all NHS organisations has also been published and is available on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/FreedomOfInformation/ClassesOfInformation/fs/en
	The financial position for NHS foundation trusts (NHSFTs) is not included. Monitor has responsibility for overseeing the financial performance of NHSFTs.

Health Budget (Hampshire)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the projected budgetary outturn for 2006–07 is for each (a) primary care trust and (b) trust in Hampshire; what the year end date is in each case; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The financial plans for 2006–07 have not yet been agreed.

Health Provision (Sittingbourne)

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions her Department has had with Swale Primary Care Trust on (a) the Local Plan with respect to the proposed increase in housing numbers and (b) the future development of the Chestnuts Surgery in Sittingbourne.

Caroline Flint: The Department has had no recent discussions with Swale Primary Care Trust on either the local plan with respect to the proposed increase in housing numbers or the future development of the Chestnuts Surgery in Sittingbourne. It is for local trusts, in partnership with their health community, to decide on local delivery and planning of services.

Hepatitis C

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of the health of patients who contracted hepatitis C in the 1970s and 1980s from infected blood.

Caroline Flint: A study from the Royal Free Hospital published in 2000 1 reported on the natural history of hepatitis C in a cohort of around 300 patients with haemophilia infected between 1961 and 1985.
	In April 1995, a lookback exercise was undertaken to identify and trace patients who had received blood before September 1991 (when routine screening of blood donations was introduced) from donors subsequently shown to be positive for hepatitis C. The majority of patients, who were identified from the lookback exercise, form the basis of the National Hepatitis C Register. This includes a record of patients with a known date of acquisition. The National Hepatitis C Register is held by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and funded by the Department. Clinicians are asked to provide follow-up data anonymously for registered patients every two to three years, and the HPA has produced papers on the cohort 2 3 . This study is on-going. Details of the register are available on the HPA website at www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hepatitis_c/menu2.htm.
	Notes:
	1 Yee TT, Griffioen A., Sabin C.A. et al. The natural history of HCV in a cohort of haemophilia patients infected between 1961 and 1985. Gut 2000; 47: 845–851. 2 Harris H.E., Ramsay R.E., Andrews N. et al. Clinical course of hepatitis C virus during the first decade of infection: cohort study. BMJ 2002; 324: 450–3. 3 Harris H.E., Ramsay M.E., Andrews N.J. Survival of a national cohort of hepatitis C virus infected patients, 16 years after exposure. Epidemiol Infect—in press. [E-pub ahead of print 28 October 2005.]

Home Oxygen Therapy

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 30 January 2006, Official Report, column 170W, on home oxygen therapy, what assessment she has made of the feasibility of using pharmacists in West Lancashire to supply additional equipment to home oxygen users.

Liam Byrne: Pharmacy businesses, like others, were free to submit tenders for the new service contract in the competitive tendering exercise conducted in 2004. No pharmacy business submitted a bid to deliver this service in the north-west region.

Influenza

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answers to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire and the right hon. Member for Warley (Mr. Spellar) of 31 January 2006, Official Report, column 464W, on influenza, when the closing date for tenders was; and whether final tenders have been issued.

Caroline Flint: The formal tendering process for pandemic influenza vaccine began in October last year and must be conducted in compliance with the European Union directive on public procurement. This includes a statutory minimum period of 77 days from when the advertisement is placed in the Official Journal of the European Union to when contracts can be awarded.
	The return date for the tenders is Tuesday 21 March, which represents an extension of two weeks to the original date. Manufacturers requested this extension due to the volume of work required to complete the tender documents.

Influenza

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will undertake research to estimate the number of people in each priority group for influenza vaccination in each local authority in England.

Caroline Flint: Uptake data are collected by primary care trusts on those in the following clinical risk categories:
	Chronic respiratory disease, including asthma
	Chronic heart disease
	Chronic renal disease
	Chronic liver disease
	Diabetes
	Immunosuppression
	These uptake data will be published once final data has been collated.

Influenza

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of old age pensioners received an NHS influenza injection in each year since 1997.

Caroline Flint: The information will be published shortly.

Influenza

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of (a) those aged 65 and over and (b) those aged over six months suffering from (i) chronic respiratory disease, (ii) chronic heart disease, (iii) chronic renal disease, (iv) chronic liver disease, (v) diabetes and (vi) who are immunosuppressed she estimates have been immunised against winter influenza in 2005.

Caroline Flint: The data will be published in the Winter Report which is due to be published before the end of March 2006.

Joint Committee on Vaccines

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meetings of the Joint Committee on Vaccines are planned in 2006; and what vaccines are to be assessed.

Caroline Flint: The joint committee on vaccination and immunisation has three meetings scheduled for 2006. The first meeting took place on 15 February 2006, further meetings are planned for June and October 2006.
	At the February meeting, the following vaccines were discussed: seasonal and pandemic flu vaccines, pertussis vaccines, Hib vaccines, polio, human papillomavirus vaccine, hepatitis b vaccines and pneumococcal vaccine. A paper on rotavirus vaccine was also presented to the committee. The agenda for the other two meetings of the committee have yet to be confirmed.

King Edward VII Hospital

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the value of NHS-funded activity carried out at King Edward VII hospital over the last five years.

Caroline Flint: The information requested for national health service-funded activity is not collected centrally. However, Capio Healthcare has used the King Edward VII hospital to provide 497 procedures to date as part of the activity delivered to the Southampton area through the independent sector treatment centre programme. The price of these procedures is commercial in confidence.

King Edward VII Hospital

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what average price primary care trusts paid for the five most common procedures funded by the NHS and carried out at the King Edward VII hospital in the last year for which figures are available; and what the equivalent NHS tariff price for each procedure was in each case.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not collected centrally. The prices of the procedures undertaken with regard to the independent sector treatment care programme are commercial in confidence.

King Edward VII Hospital

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health to which hospitals contracts for NHS work at King Edward VII hospital will be transferred (a) in the case of patients booked in for treatment and (b) in terms of the average annual case load; and what support her Department will provide to the relevant primary care trust in transferring patients previously booked for appointments at King Edward VII hospital.

Caroline Flint: Surrey and Sussex strategic health authority advises that patients already booked in for treatment will be treated in line with national standard waiting times. The local national health service believes that although the closure is unexpected, there are sufficiently strong partnerships in place to manage the transition.
	Contracts for NHS work at King Edward VII hospital will be transferred to the following NHS trusts:
	West Sussex
	Royal West Sussex NHS Trust, Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Trust, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust and Western Sussex PCT
	Surrey
	Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Trust and Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
	Hampshire
	Southampton University Hospital NHS Trust, Royal Brompton NHS Trust, St. Georges Hospital NHS Trust and Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust.
	NHS patients who would have received their treatment at the King Edward VII facility under the wave one Independent Sector Treatment Centre programme, will now receive their treatment at the Capio New Hall facility or at Capio's hospital in Reading if they require spinal surgery.

Liver Conditions

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to reduce the number of deaths from liver conditions.

Caroline Flint: Problematic drinking is a key cause of and contributor to liver disease. We are supporting a comprehensive approach, across and beyond Government, to address the consequences of harm caused by alcohol. The Government have confirmed, by way of the alcohol harm reduction strategy and the Choosing Health White Paper their commitment to tackling this issue.
	Hepatitis B and C viruses can also cause serious liver disease. The Department has introduced a range of measures to prevent and control hepatitis B and C infections, including:
	Screening of blood donations and viral inactivation of blood products;
	Harm reduction services for injecting drug users, including needle and syringe exchanges;
	Immunisation against hepatitis B for groups at increased risk of infection;
	Services to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections, including hepatitis B and C;
	Infection control procedures in health care settings and
	Regulation of tattooing and cosmetic piercing businesses.
	The hepatitis C action plan for England sets out a framework of action to improve the prevention, diagnosis of hepatitis C.

Medicines

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many responses have been received to theMedicines (Fees) Regulations consultation; what proportion of these responses objected to the proposed fee increases; and when the results of the consultation will be made public.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 27 February 2006
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 16 March 2006, Official Report, columns 2480–81W.

Mental Health Services (Lancashire)

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to increase partnership working between mental health trusts and drug and alcohol services in West Lancashire.

Liam Byrne: This is the responsibility of the West Lancashire primary care trust in partnership with other local health organisations and patient groups.

Mental Health Services (Lancashire)

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her policy is on the future role for the independent sector in the provision of mental health facilities in (a) Lancashire and (b) West Lancashire constituency.

Liam Byrne: The national health service receives vital support from the independent sector in delivering mental health services, improving access to these and in reducing waiting times, for example, in providing medium secure facilities and in specialist eating disorder services and we have no plans to change this.
	The independent sector, through the private finance initiative scheme (PFI), is helping to deliver the biggest hospital building programme, including mental health facilities, in the history of the NHS, replacing old and outmoded buildings with ones fit for the 21st century. New or improved mental health facilities are among the 140 new hospital schemes worth £19.1 billion, which are in progress and are counting towards the NHS plan target of having 100 new hospital schemes open by 2010.
	The responsibility for planning and developing NHShealth services which meet the needs of local communities, including mental health services, rests with primary care trusts and their strategic health authorities. We will continue to support the commissioning of independent sector services by the NHS where this delivers clear benefits for NHS patients and where it represents value for money for the taxpayer.

Midwives

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacant midwife posts there are in (a) the Cheshire and Lancashire and Cumbria strategic health authority area and (b) the West Lancashire primary care trust area; and what steps her Department is taking to recruit more midwives into the NHS in (i) Cheshire, (ii) Merseyside and (iii) Lancashire.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		NHS health and social care information centre vacancies survey March 2005, national health service three-month vacancies for Cheshire and Merseyside and Cumbria and Lancashire strategic health authority areas and by organisations for qualified midwives -- Three-month vacancy rates, numbers and staff in post
		
			  Midwives 
			  March 2005 September 2004 
			  Three-month vacancy rate (percentage) Three-month vacancy (number) Staff in post (full-time equivalent) Staff in post (headcount) 
		
		
			 Cheshire and Merseyside SHA area total 0.2 2 1,029 1,304 
			 Five Borough Partnership NHS Trust (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Aintree Hospitals NHS Trust (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Bebington and West Wirral PCT (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Birkenhead and Wallasey PCT (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Cardiothoracic Centre—Liverpool NHS Trust (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Central Cheshire PCT (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Central Liverpool PCT (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside SHA (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Trust (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Cheshire West PCT (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology NHS Trust (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Countess of Chester NHS Foundation Trust 0.9 1 106 138 
			 East Cheshire NHS Trust 0.0 0 70 98 
			 Eastern Cheshire PCT (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Ellesmere Port and Neston PCT (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Halton PCT 0.0 0 28 34 
			 Knowsley PCT (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Liverpool Womens Hospital NHS Trust 0.0 0 277 351 
			 Mersey Care NHS Trust (31)— 0 3 8 
			 Mersey Regional Ambulance Service NHS Trust (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust 1.0 1 97 123 
			 North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust 0.0 0 100 126 
			 North Liverpool PCT (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospitals University NHS Trust (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Royal Liverpool Childrens NHS Trust (30)— 0 0 0 
			 South Liverpool PCT (30)— 0 0 0 
			 South Sefton PCT (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Southport and Formby PCT (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust 0.0 0 93 116 
			 St. Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust 0.2 0 108 133 
			 St. Helens PCT (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery NHS Trust (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Warrington PCT (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Wirral Hospital NHS Trust 0.0 0 148 177 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire SHA area Total 0.3 3 927 1,147 
			 Blackburn with Darwen PCT (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Blackpool PCT (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Trust 1.9 2 103 126 
			 Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale PCT (31)— 0 1 2 
			 Calderstones NHS Trust (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Carlisle and District PCT (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Chorley and South Ribble PCT (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Cumbria Ambulance Service NHS Trust (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire SHA (31)— 0 1 1 
			 East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust 0.0 0 245 303 
			 Eden Valley PCT (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Fylde PCT (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Hyndburn and Ribble Valley PCT (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Lancashire Ambulance Service NHS Trust (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Lancashire Care NHS Trust (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust 0.7 1 143 177 
			 Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust 0.0 0 306 356 
			 Morecambe Bay PCT (30)— 0 0 0 
			 North Cumbria Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 0.0 0 127 182 
			 North Cumbria Mental Health and Learning Disabilities NHS Trust (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Preston PCT (30)— 0 0 0 
			 West Cumbria PCT (30)— 0 0 0 
			 West Lancashire PCT (30)— 0 0 0 
			 Wyre PCT (30)— 0 0 0 
		
	
	(30)Zero.
	(31)Figures where sum of staff in post (as at 30 September 2004) and vacancies (as at 31 March 2005) is less than 10.
	Notes:
	Three-month vacancy
	1. Three-month vacancy information is as at 31 March 2005.
	2. Three-month vacancies are vacancies which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole-time equivalents).
	3. Three-month vacancy rates are three-month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three-month vacancies plus staff in post.
	4. Three-month vacancy rates are calculated using staff in post from the non-medical work force census September 2004.
	5. Percentages are rounded to 1 decimal place.
	Staff in post
	Staff in post data is from the non-medical work force census September 2004.
	General
	1. Vacancy and staff in post numbers are rounded to the nearest whole number.
	2. Calculating the vacancy rates using the aforementioned data may not equal the actual vacancy rates.
	3. Due to rounding, totals may not equal the sum of component parts.
	4. SHA figures are based on trusts, and do not necessarily reflect the geographical provision of health care.
	Sources:
	NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre Vacancies Survey March 2005.
	NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census September 2004.
	The NHS Improvement Plan, published in June 2004, reiterated the Government's commitment to increase numbers of frontline NHS staff. This built on the NHS Plan which made a commitment to increasing nursing staff numbers—over 20,000 more nurses working in the NHS and 5,500 extra nurses, midwives and health visitors being trained each year by 2004. These targets have already been met and exceeded. The extra investment announced in the 2002 Budget, builds on the NHS Plan target; by 2008 we expect the NHS to have net increases of at least 35,000 nurses, midwives and health visitors.

MRSA (Lancashire)

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many MRSA cases there were in each hospital in (a) Lancashire and (b) hospitals which receive significant numbers of patients from West Lancashire constituency in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The information is not available in the format requested. However, information relating to the national health service hospitals trusts in the Lancashire area is shown in the table.
	
		MRSA cases: Annual data for 2001–05
		
			  April 2001 to March 2002 April 2002 to March 2003 April 2003 to March 2004 April 2004 to March 2005 
			 Trust name Number of MRSA bacteraemia reports MRSA rate per 1,000 bed-days Number of MRSA bacteraemia reports MRSA rate per 1,000 bed-days Number of MRSA bacteraemia reports MRSA rate per 1,000 bed-days Number of MRSA bacteraemia reports MRSA rate per 1,000 bed-days(32) 
		
		
			 Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Trust 44 0.22 40 0.11 64 0.17 62 0.16 
			 East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust 57 0.11 66 0.16 63 0.15 69 0.17 
			 Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 76 0.21 58 0.17 56 0.15 74 0.2 
			 Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust 33 0.1 24 0.08 30 0.1 30 0.1 
			 Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust 4 0.02 11 0.06 10 0.06 13 0.07 
		
	
	(32)2004–05 rate per 1,000 bed-days is provisional as final 2004–05 activity data are not yet available.
	Source:
	Department of Health Mandatory MRSA Bacteraemia Surveillance Scheme —MRSA bacteraemia by NHS trust.

National Blood Service

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding her Department has allocated to the National Blood Service to recruit more bone marrow donors from ethnic minority communities; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: NHS blood and transplant is responsible for managing the British bone marrow register (BBMR). It does this through its operating division—the National Blood Service (NBS). The Department has provided NBS with £3.3 million for each of the past three years to help recruit new donors. We are committed to continued improvements to the BBMR so that patients requiring bone marrow are increasingly likely to find a match and we are currently considering future funding.

NHS Finance

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether hospitals who overspend their annual budget are penalised by her Department; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The Department does not impose any penalty on national health service trusts that overspend on their income and expenditure account.
	However, in 2005–06 an incentive scheme has been introduced by the NHS Bank, which imposes a 10 per cent. penalty on strategic health authority (SHA) health economy overspends. SHAs have discretion over how they manage this penalty across the organisations in their economy.
	While the Department does not impose a penalty on overspending NHS trusts, it does require them to repay the amount overspent. This is essential as it enables the resources to be returned to those organisations that underspent to offset the overspending.

NHS Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the written statement of 1 December 2005, Official Report, column 37WS, on NHS finance, what the forecast year end financial position was at month six of each strategic health authority area in total, inclusive of all constituent trusts.

Jane Kennedy: The strategic health authority (SHA) economy forecast figures for 2005–06 at month six are shown in the table.
	
		
			  SHA economy SHA economy surplus/ (deficit) (£000) 
		
		
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire (80,703) 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire (74,851) 
			 Essex 416 
			 North West London (94,172) 
			 North Central London (6,313) 
			 North East London (583) 
			 South East London (33,224) 
			 South West London (18,314) 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 10 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley 0 
			 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire (9,968) 
			 West Yorkshire 0 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire (2,892) 
			 Greater Manchester 5,000 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside (43,764) 
			 Thames Valley (14,850) 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight (58,738) 
			 Kent and Medway (3,768) 
			 Surrey and Sussex (80,780) 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire (11,000) 
			 South West Peninsula 0 
			 Dorset and Somerset 5,000 
			 South Yorkshire (10,725) 
			 Trent 705 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland (10,000) 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire (49,898) 
			 Birmingham and the Black Country 0 
			 West Midlands South (29,604) 
		
	
	Source:
	2005–06 Monthly Financial Monitoring Returns.

NHS Trusts

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the NHS trusts which inherited deficits at their inception; what the value of the deficits was in each case; and what the current projected financial position is of each trust.

Jane Kennedy: No national health service trust inherited deficits at its inception. When a new NHS trust is created its income and expenditure reserve and statutory breakeven duty performance are set to nil, therefore the performance of predecessor organisations is not inherited.
	However, a new NHS trust may inherit any liabilities arising from local agreements that had been made or incurred by the predecessor organisations. The Department does not collect information on such arrangements.

Nursing Agencies

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms are in place to monitor the services provided by nursing agencies; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The national audit team for the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency monitor the commercial agencies providing personnel to the national health service via national framework agreements.
	Some of the areas audited to ensure the agencies are compliant with the contract are:
	Good employment practice;
	Immigration statuses;
	Immunisation checks;
	Professional qualifications;
	Training; and
	Criminal Records Bureau disclosures.
	The above highlights the core criteria and is not an exhaustive list.
	Details of the mechanisms in place to monitor agencies contracted direct by NHS trusts outside the frameworks are not collected centrally.

Nutrient Profiling

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received on the nutrient profiling model used by the Food Standards Agency when assessing the nutrient content of food.

Caroline Flint: The Department and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) have received eight representations on the FSA nutrient profiling model since it was adopted by the FSA board on 6 December 2005; four from food industry representatives and four from individual consumers and organisations representing consumers' interests.

Overseas Medical Staff

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her Department's press release of 7 March 2006 (GNN Ref 129686P), entitled Extra Investment and Increase in Home-Grown Medical Recruits Eases UK Reliance on Overseas Doctors", what assessment she has made of the impact on the NHS dental service of the enhanced requirements for overseas doctors and dentists to obtain work permits.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 15 March 2006
	The enhanced requirements for overseas doctors and dentists to obtain work permits do not have significant implications for national health service dental services. The only implications for dental services are where overseas dentists, from outside the European Union (EU), are seeking employment in the hospital or community dental services and where it will be necessary to show that there is no dentist from the United Kingdom or the wider EU dentist able to fill the post.
	The great majority of dentists in England work as independent, self-employed contractors in primary care. In these cases, dentists from outside the EU, who have undertaken vocational training, will continue to be able to seek entry under the Person Intending to Establish Themselves in Business rules" and are not affected by the enhanced requirements for work permits. A non-EU dentist who has not undertaken vocational training will require a work permit, but vocational dental practitioners are included on the Home Office's list of shortage occupations and will not be affected by the enhanced requirements announced on 7 March.

PET Scanners

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will increase funding to NHS trusts to enable them to meet the costs to patients of travelling to the nearest PET scanner; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 6 March 2006
	Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for ensuring that there is provision of ambulance services, which could include patient transport services, to such extent as they consider necessary to meet all reasonable requirements. It is, therefore, for the local national health service to decide who provides patient transport services for eligible patients in their area.
	PCTs are also responsible for ensuring that patients who travel to receive their traditional hospital care receive reimbursement of reasonable travel expenses where the patient can prove they require financial assistance.
	PCT allocations for 2006–07 will increase by 9.2 per cent. on the previous year. All PCT costs, including both of these schemes, are met from those allocations.

Pneumonia Injection

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of pensioners received a pneumonia injection in 2004–05.

Caroline Flint: By 31 March 2005, around 81.0 per cent. of people 80 years and over had been vaccinated with pneumococcal vaccine.
	By 31 March 2005, around 73 per cent. of people 75 years and over had been vaccinated with pneumococcal vaccine.
	By 31 March 2005, around 48.1 per cent. of people aged 65 years and over had been vaccinated with pneumococcal vaccine. It should be noted that up until this date only those 75 years and over had been offered the vaccine routinely.
	The policy to vaccinate those aged 65 years and over was introduced on 1 April 2005. Data on the number of people aged 65 years and over who were vaccinated from 1 April 2005 to 1 April 2006 will be collected autumn 2006.
	Data on the percentage of people vaccinated between 1 April 2004 and 31 March 2005 by primary care trust has been placed in the Library.

Population Growth

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment her Department has made of the likely impact of the projected increases in the population of South East England from the South East England Regional Assembly housing allocations on (a) demand for and (b) capacity of (i) primary care and (ii)secondary care;
	(2)  what plans she has to review the additional healthfunding allocated to the Government's identified growth areas for housing development.

Liam Byrne: The aim of resource allocation is to provide equal levels of funding for equal levels of underlying need in the population. A key element of the formula used to achieve this objective is the count of thepopulation in an area.
	The development of the formula is overseen by the advisory committee on resource allocation (ACRA), ACRA is made up of academics, national health service managers and general practitioners, and already has a work programme to improve the measure of population used to inform primary care trust (PCT) allocations.
	The development of the formula is overseen by the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA), ACRA is made up of academics, NHS managers and GPs, and already has a work programme to improve the measure of population used to inform PCT allocations. ACRA will make recommendations in advance of the next allocations round.
	The allocations for 2006–07 and 2007–08 were based on population projections produced by the Office of National Statistics. This includes expected population growth based on previous trends. In addition, a growth area adjustment was introduced for PCTs covered by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister growth area initiative. The takes account of the specific impact on population growth. This covers funding for both primary and secondary care.

Results Tariff

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the reasons were for the withdrawal of the national tariff for payment by results; when her Department will indicate what payment by results tariff will apply for financial year 2006–07; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Regrettably it was necessary to withdraw the tariff for 2006–07 in order to correct underlying errors in the calculation. We are now testing the revised tariff with the help of national health service colleagues, and will publish a corrected version as soon as possible.

Sexual Health

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2006, Official Report, column 446W, on sexual health, if she will place in the Library the review that was undertaken of sexual health service provision in Watford and St. Albans.

Caroline Flint: The review of the Watford and St. Albans genito-urinary service is currently being drafted and will be sent to the relevant stakeholders for consultation soon. Once this and other elements of the national genito-urinary service review is complete, a report will be published and placed in the House of Commons Library.

Sexual Health

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the provision of sexual health services in Guildford.

Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on Tuesday 7 March 2006, Official Report, column 1252W.

Sexual Health

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the provision of sexual health services in West Lancashire.

Liam Byrne: The Department makes financial allocations direct to primary care trusts (PCTs). The responsibility for the provision of these services rests with the national health service at local level. The consideration that PCTs give to this is part of a range of factors that they must take into account in discussions with local health bodies and patient groups in deciding their policy on the provision of treatment services for their locality. This policy will reflect local health needs and priorities.

Social Care

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health from which survey the statement in paragraph 5.8 of the white paper Our Health, Our Care, Our Say" that over a third of those receiving social care had not had a review in the past year was derived.

Liam Byrne: The information about the number of social care reviews is derived from referrals, assessments and packages of care data (RAP) for adults in England in 2004–05.
	The specific quotation relates to the performance assessment framework (PAF) indicator AO/D40 which shows that 37 per cent. of adults and older clients receiving social services were not reviewed in 2004–05. This percentage is based on the number of reviews for adults aged 18 and over (1.09 million) as a proportion of the total number of people receiving social services aged 18 and over, an estimated 1.72 million.
	The final RAP report for 2004–05 was published on 28 February 2006 and is available on the NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre's website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/commcare05adultengrepcssr.

Unborn Babies

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has assessed on the extent to which unborn babies are actively learning about the outside world while in the womb.

Caroline Flint: The Department is aware of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' (RCOG) report, Fetal Awareness, Report of a Working party" (1997) and the Medical Research Council's Report of the MRC Expert group on Fetal Pain" (2001).
	The RCOG's working party concluded that it is not possible for the fetus to be aware of events before 26 weeks' gestation.

Vaccination Programme

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the annual saving resulting from withdrawal in the UK of the universal TB vaccination programme in (a) 2005 and (b) 2006.

Caroline Flint: Funding for immunisation services including the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination programme, form part of the annual allocation to primary care trusts (PCT). PCTs are responsible for the management of those monies and running of immunisation programmes. As a result of the changes to the BCG vaccination programme, PCTs will redirect monies to reflect how the BCG programme willbe implemented within their PCT.

West Lancashire Primary Care Trust

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding for capital expenditure on health services was allotted to West Lancashire primary care trust in each of the past five years; and what percentage of the total funding to the primary care trust in each year those figures represent.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is not held centrally.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Affordable Housing

Greg Hands: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many new-build units of affordable housing have been built in each London borough in each year since 1996–97.

David Laws: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many new affordable homes for social rent have been built in each English local authority since 1990–91; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The numbers of affordable homes provided (new build and acquisitions) for social rent on behalf of each English local authority since 1991–92 has been placed in the Library of the House. The table shows social rented dwellings funded by the Housing Corporation and through local authority social housing grant. Information on local authority built social rent dwellings is shown by region only. Information for the financial year 1990–91 is not available.
	Since 1997 substantial additional resources have been made available for refurbishment to the social housing stock alongside new building. Building costs and land costs have also risen. We plan to provide 75,000 social rented properties over the three years 2004–05 to 2007–08. That is an additional 10,000 homes by 2007–08; a 50 per cent. increase on 2004–05. This extra provision will be achieved through a mix of new build and acquisition. In 2005–06 an estimated 20,000 social rented homes will be provided through the Housing Corporation's Approved Development Programme and transitional local authority social housing grant. In addition the Government have provided significant additional resources for shared equity schemes.
	Planned annual housing requirements are developed as part of the Regional Spatial Strategies. The Government response to Kate Barker's Review outlined their ambition to increase housing delivery in England over the next decade to 200,000 net additions per year, from current delivery of around 150,000 net additions per year.

Airfields (Planning Policy)

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister for what reasons airfields are no longer exempted but are classified as Brownfield sites under Planning Policy Statement 3.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Southport (Dr. Pugh) on 20 March 2006, Official Report, column 67W.

Council Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister by how much council expenditure on (a) repair and (b) administration of council housing has changed on average in each of the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: Details are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Supervision and Management per dwelling (£) Change (%) Repairs and Maintenance per dwelling (£) Change (%) 
		
		
			 2000–01 625.57 n/a 739.14 n/a 
			 2001–02 665.18 +6.3 744.10 +0.7 
			 2002–03 739.80 +11.2 738.87 -0.71 
			 2003–04 826.39 +11.7 771.00 +4.35 
			 2004–05 939.57 +13.7 801.42 +3.95 
		
	
	The figures shown in the table were taken from out turn reported in local authorities' second quarterly subsidy claims for the financial year following that referenced. The figures are unaudited, and are collected for guidance only.

County Councils

Keith Vaz: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what research his Department has commissioned into the role of county councils.

Phil Woolas: We have not commissioned research into the role of county councils.

EU Programmes (Dorset)

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what funding Dorset has received from EU programmes over the last three years; from which EU programmes; and how much was received from each.

Phil Woolas: Dorset, including the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth and Poole, has received a total of £7.461 million funding in grant paid from EU programmes in the last three calendar years, 2003, 2004 and 2005. The funding is shown, for each programme and calendar year, in the following table. These figures include only Dorset projects and not other region-wide projects or projects that cover more than one county including Dorset for which it is not possible to apportion to administrative areas the grant paid. The figures are for EU grant paid only and do not include UK Government domestic matching funding.
	
		£ million
		
			 EU programme 2003 2004 2005 Total 2003–05 
		
		
			 Objective 3 1.198 3.095 1.213 5.506 
			 Leader+ 0.216 0.202 0.221 0.639 
			 England Rural  Development Programme 0.377 0.399 0.540 1.316

Home Information Packs

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what secondary legislation he plans to bring forward in order to introduce home information packs.

Yvette Cooper: The secondary legislation that we plan to bring forward in order to introduce home information packs will cover:
	Home Information Pack components—documents required or authorised to be included in the Home Information Pack.
	exceptions from Home Information Pack duties.
	Approval of Certification schemes.
	Register of Home Condition Reports.
	penalty charge for breach of Home Information Pack duties.
	commencement of the Home Information Pack duties.

Home Information Packs

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 7 March 2006, Official Report, column 1360W. to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs.Spelman) on home information packs, for what reasons his estimate of the annual requirement for home information packs differs from the Regulatory Impact Assessment's estimate of 1.8 million.

Yvette Cooper: The estimate within the regulatory impact assessment published with the draft Housing Bill was based on industry estimates and our own research into market activity at that time. The more recent estimate of 1.44 million packs being required when the statutory scheme is introduced is based on the current level of sales recorded by the Land Registry.
	ODPM will continue working with key stakeholders to ensure that any significant changes in housing market activity are taken into account when estimating the number of HIPs that will be needed and other impacts on industry.

Local Government Structures

Keith Vaz: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he willmake a statement on the future of two-tier local governance arrangements.

Phil Woolas: We are currently engaged in a wide ranging debate about local governance, including the future of two-tier arrangements in the shire areas. We intend to finalise our position around the middle of the year at the same time as the publication of the proposed White Paper

Fair Trade Towns

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations his department has received from local authorities on fair trade town status; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	The DTI has not received any representations from local authorities on fair trade town status.

Fire and Rescue Services

John McDonnell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many calls there were to each fire and rescue service in England in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of emergency calls to each fire and rescue service in England since 1998–99 is presented in the following table. Information prior to 1998–99 is not held centrally.
	
		
			  Number of emergency calls 
			 Fire and rescue service 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03(33) 2003–04 2004–05(34) 
		
		
			 Avon 27,389 32,469 33,450 41,863 39,180 40,252 34,659 
			 Bedfordshire and Luton 14,521 15,566 15,974 17,558 17,459 17,979 20,001 
			 Buckinghamshire 17,875 22,323 21,994 23,691 21,198 23,350 20,174 
			 Cambridgeshire 22,929 24,284 23,677 26,977 25,853 27,406 23,921 
			 Cheshire 22,490 25,014 25,779 29,809 31,102 33,506 29,254 
			 Cleveland 18,432 12,537 22,836 25,132 22,590 25,351 20,081 
			 Cornwall 16,165 13,161 12,860 14,073 14,636 16,194 14,807 
			 County Durham and Darlington 18,156 20,337 19,151 22,188 20,987 21,052 18,965 
			 Cumbria 12,990 14,025 13,298 13,692 13,444 14,710 14,594 
			 Derbyshire 20,371 24,323 20,644 21,295 20,845 21,841 19,279 
			 Devon 20,962 23,427 25,924 30,359 29,738 31,571 30,471 
			 Dorset 13,179 15,824 17,027 20,596 18,862 20,813 15,885 
			 East Sussex 18,817 21.539 23,729 24,136 22,366 24,515 20,106 
			 Essex 37,848 45,915 47,871 50,072 55,700 63,891 42,820 
			 Gloucestershire 22,007 13,631 13,528 13,875 14,031 16,361 14,436 
			 Greater Manchester 87,622 103,525 93,525 97,536 101,348 113,111 88,927 
			 Hampshire 35,072 40,540 40,395 47,887 45,560 51,168 40,195 
			 Hereford and Worcester 26,967 26,678 25.384 22.343 20,773 22,012 17,706 
			 Hertfordshire 28,108 17,919 27,129 28,738 25,680 31,042 21,270 
			 Humberside 27,454 31.286 30,380 35,477 36,512 42,674 28,864 
			 Isle Of Wight 2,045 2,574 2,550 2,631 2,432 2,521 2,078 
			 Isles Of Scilly(35) — 33 36 — — — — 
			 Kent 39,417 46,018 45,584 46,936 45,768 53,453 42,413 
			 Lancashire 41,932 45,317 45,237 48,960 48,508 53,171 44,383 
			 Leicestershire 19,065 26,766 24,773 26,701 22,604 23,918 19,422 
			 Lincolnshire 12,353 13,805 13.367 14,653 16,457 19,039 17,807 
			 London 248,826 284,578 282,883 306,539 274,938 299,011 266,737 
			 Merseyside 50,317 63,103 64.037 66.577 68,494 72,236 61,459 
			 Norfolk 16,009 17,401 18,845 22,168 22,517 23,227 17.484 
			 North Yorkshire 18,928 18,085 19,671 20,000 11,248 23.704 20,280 
			 Northamptonshire 14,715 16,287 16,354 19,097 20,139 22,903 18,326 
			 Northumberland 6,262 10,394 10,188 10,795 10.020 12,376 10,439 
			 Nottinghamshire 31,268 38,119 35,366 43,145 45,085 49,190 36,720 
			 Oxfordshire 17,895 20,297 20,312 19,342 21,364 20,076 16,981 
			 Royal Berkshire 14,577 13,666 16,886 17,611 17,180 17,771 14,905 
			 Shropshire 11,399 12,277 12,108 12,140 12,685 13,003 10,198 
			 Somerset 56,890 12,373 14,193 15,453 15,078 14,428 10,117 
			 South Yorkshire 41,000 47,591 n/a 53,908 55,944 66,683 48,249 
			 Staffordshire 29,819 32,908 30,927 34,664 33,065 37,991 31,756 
			 Suffolk 12,017 13,844 15,409 15,991 16,156 17,937 14,030 
			 Surrey 26,249 30,168 30,273 31,745 30,467 34,564 29,735 
			 Tyne and Wear 38,494 44,815 41,342 47,722 44,099 48,431 39,474 
			 Warwickshire 15,044 16,484 14,912 15,573 16,593 18,611 15,228 
			 West Midlands 84,734 100,896 95,623 105,827 104,165 115,045 88,516 
			 West Sussex 20,870 23,148 24,968 21,772 20,788 22,324 19,844 
			 West Yorkshire 52,012 89,648 81,172 90,720 92,853 98,449 88,401 
			 Wiltshire 11,601 13,210 13,305 13,110 13,374 14,258 12,160 
		
	
	n/a=not available.
	(33)There were 15 days of industrial action in 2002–03.
	(34)Figures for 2004–05 are provisional.
	(35)Calls for the Isles of Scilly are included with those for Cornwall except for the years 1999–2000 and 2000–01.
	Source:
	ODPM annual returns

Fire and Rescue Services

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) incidents and (b) fires were attended by each fire and rescue service in England in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following tables show data for (a) total number of incidents (fires, false alarms and special services), and (b) total fires (primary, secondary and chimney), attended by each fire and rescue service in England from 1995–96 to 2004–05.
	
		(a) All incidents attended by each fire and rescue service, England, 1995–96 to 2004–05
		
			 FRS area 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 
		
		
			 England 1,085,999 983,496 924,031 837,313 929,601 
			   
			 Avon 18,918 16,907 17,009 16,361 17,840 
			 Bedfordshire 8,700 8,073 7,693 6,952 7,902 
			 Berkshire 14,835 13,643 13,067 12,125 15,348 
			 Buckinghamshire 11,162 10,704 10,426 9,216 10,627 
			 Cambridgeshire 12,482 12,533 12,002 11,549 12,565 
			 Cheshire 18,859 16,428 15,342 13,196 14,757 
			 Cleveland 17,835 16,564 16,053 13,220 15,958 
			 Cornwall 6,807 6,463 6,044 5,485 6,197 
			 Cumbria 9,359 8,509 7,923 7,491 7,898 
			 Derbyshire 17,578 15,242 13,988 13,455 14,542 
			 Devon 17,838 16,256 16,522 15,153 16,863 
			 Dorset 11,764 9,415 10,131 9,086 10,092 
			 Durham 12,776 12,896 12,252 10,565 11,813 
			 East Sussex 12,961 13,383 13,279 12,341 13,667 
			 Essex 25,321 24,406 22,911 20,891 23,875 
			 Gloucestershire 8,233 7,646 7,309 6,918 7,230 
			 Greater London 193,974 190,308 168,425 160,495 175,115 
			 Greater Manchester 82,825 69,793 66,107 56,730 63,891 
			 Hampshire 24,952 22,466 22,582 20,982 22,537 
			 Hereford and Worcester 10,511 9,542 9,291 8,555 9,464 
			 Hertfordshire 15,495 15,486 14,686 13,424 14,120 
			 Humberside 19,273 17,688 18,158 15,905 17,217 
			 Isle of Wight 1,704 1,789 1,832 1,652 1,848 
			 Isles of Scilly 24 40 22 18 33 
			 Kent 25,834 24,951 24,049 22,355 25,256 
			 Lancashire 34,647 29,427 28,345 24,733 27,287 
			 Leicestershire 17,511 15,557 14,239 13,613 14,406 
			 Lincolnshire 7,999 7,513 6,981 6,614 7,315 
			 Merseyside 56,054 48,136 40,590 33,254 39,564 
			 Norfolk 11,294 10,772 9,681 8,617 9,341 
			 North Yorkshire 10,113 9,480 9,589 8,990 9,343 
			 Northamptonshire 10,792 9,795 9,556 9,705 10,040 
			 Northumberland 5,959 5,618 4,956 4,442 5,427 
			 Nottinghamshire 22,297 19,004 17,135 15,697 19,072 
			 Oxfordshire 11,098 10,799 10,307 9,899 10,420 
			 Shropshire 7,387 6,090 6,580 6,339 6,463 
			 Somerset 7,396 7,018 7,000 6,538 7,362 
			 South Yorkshire 31,702 26,492 24,048 22,328 25,629 
			 Staffordshire 18,931 16,082 15,180 13,699 14,780 
			 Suffolk 8,311 8,428 7,825 7,169 7,080 
			 Surrey 17,588 15,141 15,860 14,003 15,656 
			 Tyne and Wear 35,609 33,099 29,182 25,480 28,665 
			 Warwickshire 9,884 8,090 8,219 7,751 7,490 
			 West Midlands 76,397 62,494 62,518 55,212 61,780 
			 West Sussex 14,655 14,483 15,167 13,152 14,137 
			 West Yorkshire 61,468 50,201 45,946 38,297 43,011 
			 Wiltshire 8,885 8,650 8,020 7,659 8,677 
		
	
	
		
			  2000–01 2001–02 2002–03(36) 2003–04 2004–05(37) 
		
		
			 England 912,741 990,793 951,376 1,016,025 859,800 
			   
			 Avon 18,281 21,679 22,073 21,360 17,628 
			 Bedfordshire 8,159 9,180 8,797 9,414 7,413 
			 Berkshire 13,686 14,390 13,377 14,398 12,121 
			 Buckinghamshire 10,273 11,081 10,152 10,999 9,791 
			 Cambridgeshire 12,609 14,022 12,810 13,039 11,710 
			 Cheshire 14,673 16,912 16,998 17,543 15,242 
			 Cleveland 15,318 16,833 16,267 15,594 13,063 
			 Cornwall 6,216 6,271 6,422 6,203 5,946 
			 Cumbria 7,867 7,882 7,816 8,340 7,567 
			 Derbyshire 13,909 14,403 14,243 14,773 12,428 
			 Devon 17,215 18,097 17,223 18,308 17,374 
			 Dorset 10,325 11,159 9,967 10,282 9,294 
			 Durham 10,813 12,310 11,670 11,723 10,421 
			 East Sussex 14,101 14,660 13,687 14,648 12,932 
			 Essex 25,345 27,088 25,541 27,946 23,265 
			 Gloucestershire 7,283 7,657 7,697 8,850 8,402 
			 Greater London 176,289 185,625 167,639 181,642 158,756 
			 Greater Manchester 59,507 65,781 63,005 64,240 54,052 
			 Hampshire 22,821 26,118 24,287 27,138 22,389 
			 Hereford and Worcester 9,148 10,163 9,775 10,785 9,016 
			 Hertfordshire 13,599 14,861 13,984 14,941 12,000 
			 Humberside 16,717 19,325 19,418 22,064 17,330 
			 Isle of Wight 1,959 1,977 1,769 1,891 1,643 
			 Isles of Scilly 34 36 42 35 26 
			 Kent 25,552 26,315 25,381 28,916 23,325 
			 Lancashire 26,833 28,737 28,683 30,907 26,518 
			 Leicestershire 13,617 15,107 14,858 15,236 13,078 
			 Lincolnshire 7,139 7,861 9,697 11,420 11,197 
			 Merseyside 36,760 37,743 38,451 42,804 34,603 
			 Norfolk 9,452 10,999 10,916 11,095 9,610 
			 North Yorkshire 10,920 10,392 10,439 10,722 10,347 
			 Northamptonshire 9,956 10,893 11,337 12,382 10,537 
			 Northumberland 5,068 5,831 5,194 6,126 4,996 
			 Nottinghamshire 17,352 20,892 21,859 23,476 18,482 
			 Oxfordshire 10,139 10,125 9,033 6,957 6,451 
			 Shropshire 6,676 7,125 6,976 7,008 5,880 
			 Somerset 7,733 8,022 7,613 7,648 6,069 
			 South Yorkshire 23,501 27,992 28,422 30,619 23,217 
			 Staffordshire 14,315 16,128 16,025 18,233 15,249 
			 Suffolk 8,163 8,824 8,706 9,366 7,803 
			 Surrey 15,409 15,864 15,333 17,255 15,113 
			 Tyne and Wear 25,975 29,537 27,916 29,533 23,773 
			 Warwickshire 7,905 7,966 8,335 9,012 7,864 
			 West Midlands 57,972 62,785 60,369 65,635 52,219 
			 West Sussex 15,253 13,954 13,351 14,100 12,662 
			 West Yorkshire 42,224 51,773 49,620 52,929 43,810 
			 Wiltshire 8,678 8,418 8,202 8,488 7,188 
		
	
	(36)There were 15 days of industrial action in 2002–03.
	(37)Provisional.
	Source:
	Fire and Rescue Service annual returns and FDR returns to ODPM.
	
		(b) All fires attended by each fire and rescue service, England, 1995–96 to 2004–05
		
			 FRS area 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 
		
		
			 England 487,625 414,035 362,254 315,692 386,027 
			   
			 Avon 8,446 6,673 6,023 5,892 7,281 
			 Bedfordshire 4,270 3,712 3,342 2,817 3,538 
			 Berkshire 5,822 4,720 4,123 3,841 4,811 
			 Buckinghamshire 5,535 4,867 4,679 3,898 4,945 
			 Cambridgeshire 4,569 4,571 3,823 3,503 4,171 
			 Cheshire 10,413 8,839 7,363 5,996 7,330 
			 Cleveland 9,505 8,134 7,340 5,892 8,364 
			 Cornwall 3,679 3,338 2,768 2,340 2,699 
			 Cumbria 4,668 4,231 3,482 3,065 3,679 
			 Derbyshire 7,910 6,156 5,051 4,562 5,452 
			 Devon 8,024 6,859 6,258 5,766 6,519 
			 Dorset 4,843 3,698 3,674 3,163 3,628 
			 Durham 7,128 7,185 6,557 5,357 6,667 
			 East Sussex 4,772 4,653 4,176 4,054 5,021 
			 Essex 11,004 10,008 8,464 7,357 9,200 
			 Gloucestershire 3,675 3,285 2,796 2,667 2,907 
			 Greater London 56,133 52,654 46,405 40,952 49,400 
			 Greater Manchester 43,424 33,010 29,903 24,700 31,326 
			 Hampshire 12,333 9,861 9,323 8,123 9,586 
			 Hereford and Worcester 4,748 4,439 3,986 3,343 3,968 
			 Hertfordshire 6,072 5,872 5,398 4,550 5,579 
			 Humberside 10,866 9,588 8,870 7,770 8,992 
			 Isle of Wight 790 754 723 657 676 
			 Isles of Scilly 15 29 11 10 7 
			 Kent 11,390 10,920 9,756 8,839 10,730 
			 Lancashire 16,564 14,243 12,746 10,816 12,981 
			 Leicestershire 7,705 6,350 5,131 5,059 5,828 
			 Lincolnshire 4,040 3,568 2,997 2,988 3,559 
			 Merseyside 32,925 25,635 21,421 17,271 22,616 
			 Norfolk 5,059 5,141 4,089 3,532 3,838 
			 North Yorkshire 4,259 3,679 3,247 2,950 3,501 
			 Northamptonshire 5,470 4,821 4,449 4,289 4,688 
			 Northumberland 3,053 3,065 2,448 2,096 2,863 
			 Nottinghamshire 12,058 9,357 7,298 6,689 9,255 
			 Oxfordshire 3,953 3,781 3,241 2,950 3,163 
			 Shropshire 3,823 3,047 2,907 2,610 3,171 
			 Somerset 3,162 2,923 2,600 2,353 2,795 
			 South Yorkshire 17,993 14,184 11,301 10,741 13,300 
			 Staffordshire 10,635 8,107 6,876 6,171 7,402 
			 Suffolk 3,788 3,581 3,014 2,536 2,844 
			 Surrey 5,488 4,797 4,465 3,668 4,522 
			 Tyne and Wear 19,450 18,012 15,118 13,005 16,304 
			 Warwickshire 4,570 3,599 3,253 2,597 3,154 
			 West Midlands 34,465 28,133 25,317 20,923 25,822 
			 West Sussex 4,602 4,135 3,818 3,479 3,969 
			 West Yorkshire 31,569 22,875 19,771 17,536 21,462 
			 Wiltshire 2,958 2,950 2,449 2,317 2,513 
		
	
	
		
			  2000–01 2001–02 2002–031 2003–04 2004–052 
		
		
			 England 359,259 431,838 412,491 473,563 341,258 
			   
			 Avon 7,265 9,344 9,149 9,628 6,749 
			 Bedfordshire 3,533 4,142 4,191 4,777 3,387 
			 Berkshire 4,668 5,223 4,579 5,612 3,919 
			 Buckinghamshire 4,413 5,110 4,445 5,508 4,170 
			 Cambridgeshire 3,971 4,482 4,472 5,283 3,964 
			 Cheshire 6,994 9,144 9,070 9,937 8,033 
			 Cleveland 7,862 9,549 9,363 9,777 7,105 
			 Cornwall 2,504 2,734 2,709 2,547 2,396 
			 Cumbria 3,596 3,618 3,655 4,358 3,472 
			 Derbyshire 4,799 5,710 5,824 6,358 4,546 
			 Devon 5,911 6,823 6,058 6,654 5,768 
			 Dorset 3,845 4,559 3,700 4,176 3,323 
			 Durham 5,464 6,939 6,364 6,964 5,378 
			 East Sussex 4,629 5,352 4,577 5,360 4,038 
			 Essex 9,202 10,829 9,568 12,179 8,438 
			 Gloucestershire 2,775 3,022 3,093 3,938 2,943 
			 Greater London 47,573 55,642 46,807 57,256 39,959 
			 Greater Manchester 29,062 34,497 33,292 34,827 26,122 
			 Hampshire 8,825 12,024 10,160 12,836 8,794 
			 Hereford and Worcester 3,616 4,400 4,063 4,836 3,272 
			 Hertfordshire 5,151 5,864 5,649 7,361 4,954 
			 Humberside 8,158 10,577 10,912 13,483 9,128 
			 Isle of Wight 575 742 591 695 520 
			 Isles of Scilly 15 15 21 20 14 
			 Kent 9,919 11,229 10,965 13,740 9,949 
			 Lancashire 12,476 14,349 14,454 16,015 11,620 
			 Leicestershire 5,132 6,291 5,808 6,757 4,580 
			 Lincolnshire 2,971 3,517 3,604 4,240 3,241 
			 Merseyside 20,581 23,348 24,399 26,808 19,555 
			 Norfolk 3,819 4,561 4,499 4,872 3,685 
			 North Yorkshire 3,486 3,919 3,790 4,214 3,257 
			 Northamptonshire 4,581 5,546 5,712 6,640 4,742 
			 Northumberland 2,525 3,081 2,828 3,520 2,406 
			 Nottinghamshire 7,833 11,222 12,141 13,765 8,939 
			 Oxfordshire 3,190 3,265 3,159 3,455 2,826 
			 Shropshire 2,867 3,469 3,394 3,619 2,715 
			 Somerset 2,698 3,179 3,131 3,286 2,474 
			 South Yorkshire 11,494 15,197 16,405 18,601 12,780 
			 Staffordshire 6,433 7,873 7,940 9,302 6,624 
			 Suffolk 2,845 3,216 3,175 4,048 3,011 
			 Surrey 4,012 4,782 4,631 5,926 4,516 
			 Tyne and Wear 14,026 17,349 16,582 17,552 12,948 
			 Warwickshire 3,009 3,278 3,545 4,048 2,971 
			 West Midlands 24,118 28,242 27,603 32,711 21,835 
			 West Sussex 3,672 4,368 3,828 4,762 3,587 
			 West Yorkshire 20,622 27,423 25,944 28,255 20,234 
			 Wiltshire 2,542 2,793 2,641 3,055 2,371 
		
	
	(38)The strike period of 15 days is excluded from the 2002–03 figures.
	(39)Provisional.
	Source:
	Fire and Rescue Service FDR returns to ODPM.

Fire and Rescue Services

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many firefighters were injured in operational incidents in the fire and rescue services in England in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of firefighters that were injured in operational incidents in fire and rescue services in England since 1998–99 is tabled as follows. Information prior to 1998–99 is not held centrally.
	
		
			  Number of firefighters injured at operational incidents 
			 Fire and rescue service 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03(40) 2003–04 2004–05(41) 
		
		
			 Avon 55 80 92 85 131 94 46 
			 Bedfordshire and Luton 61 44 43 28 33 7 31 
			 Buckinghamshire 37 27 24 24 10 21 15 
			 Cambridgeshire 69 64 44 46 35 48 33 
			 Cheshire 49 46 49 39 48 59 58 
			 Cleveland 25 37 29 n/a 32 43 29 
			 Cornwall 17 33 40 27 33 31 28 
			 County Durham and Darlington 41 41 31 32 53 33 28 
			 Cumbria 40 43 61 41 43 36 40 
			 Derbyshire 85 58 71 46 49 35 63 
			 Devon 68 78 109 52 50 65 41 
			 Dorset 43 47 47 79 43 65 52 
			 East Sussex 35 51 26 57 47 86 55 
			 Essex 67 92 103 89 62 102 67 
			 Gloucestershire 31 25 49 45 40 44 36 
			 Greater Manchester 232 293 261 219 184 188 176 
			 Hampshire 50 76 81 50 50 80 38 
			 Hereford and Worcester 29 14 34 29 38 43 50 
			 Hertfordshire 35 57 51 42 62 135 73 
			 Humberside 63 90 57 91 81 58 62 
			 Isle of Wight 7 22 6 16 16 6 4 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 
			 Kent 92 97 79 81 60 104 88 
			 Lancashire 42 61 76 n/a 62 59 67 
			 Leicestershire 50 35 47 36 41 39 13 
			 Lincolnshire 33 15 22 27 18 18 19 
			 London 431 448 486 388 387 413 244 
			 Merseyside 79 112 74 61 83 90 133 
			 Norfolk 41 65 40 56 47 64 34 
			 North Yorkshire 39 37 34 28 32 39 24 
			 Northamptonshire 37 30 44 47 55 52 63 
			 Northumberland 20 19 24 19 14 20 19 
			 Nottinghamshire 65 69 62 75 96 67 n/a 
			 Oxfordshire 53 45 39 61 22 36 13 
			 Royal Berkshire 60 64 69 31 34 47 19 
			 Shropshire 28 22 16 28 26 27 15 
			 Somerset 48 24 24 60 33 60 16 
			 South Yorkshire 47 65 66 85 86 74 55 
			 Staffordshire 55 75 113 54 62 64 87 
			 Suffolk 65 78 61 49 65 63 16 
			 Surrey 91 49 54 54 110 233 84 
			 Tyne and Wear 103 110 95 96 99 95 46 
			 Warwickshire 28 32 27 22 17 52 30 
			 West Midlands 140 135 140 146 155 228 219 
			 West Sussex 52 51 63 45 27 42 25 
			 West Yorkshire 101 141 121 144 111 123 100 
			 Wiltshire 26 18 21 31 25 32 17 
			 Total 2,965 3,215 3,205 2,861 2,909 3,420 2,471 
		
	
	n/a=information not available
	(40)In 2002–03 there was a period of industrial action which lasted for 15 days.
	(41)The figures for 2004–05 are provisional.
	Source:
	ODPM annual returns

Fire-related Deaths

John McDonnell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many deaths there were in dwelling fires in each fire and rescue services area in England in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table shows the data for each fire and rescue service in England in each of the last 10 years.
	
		Fatal casualties in dwelling fires in each fire and rescue service area, England, 1995–2004
		
			 FRS area 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002(42) 2003(42) 2004 
		
		
			 England 428 428 432 383 334 351 358 327 350 269 
			
			 England—non-met counties 236 238 250 202 174 189 188 192 181 137 
			
			 Avon 2 3 4 4 8 5 6 6 6 3 
			 Bedfordshire 4 6 3 4 1 5 3 4 5 2 
			 Berkshire 3 12 5 7 3 7 4 1 6 2 
			 Buckinghamshire 4 4 7 2 4 6 3 6 4 1 
			 Cambridgeshire 3 9 4 2 3 3 2 1 2 3 
			 Cheshire 6 8 11 7 8 6 7 5 4 1 
			 Cleveland 7 5 10 2 3 1 5 2 8 2 
			 Cornwall 6 1 6 3 3 4 4 4 3 3 
			 Cumbria 10 3 4 5 3 3 5 3 3 3 
			 Derbyshire 6 5 7 8 7 10 5 10 11 6 
			 Devon 5 6 4 6 4 7 3 4 6 1 
			 Dorset 10 8 5 1 8 2 8 6 1 3 
			 Durham 6 3 9 4 9 7 5 3 8 4 
			 East Sussex 6 7 7 8 5 3 3 4 6 4 
			 Essex 11 13 14 6 6 10 6 7 8 6 
			 Gloucestershire 7 5 4 2 1 2 1 2 5 1 
			 Hampshire 14 15 5 8 9 8 7 5 5 7 
			 Hereford and Worcester 2 1 6 4 3 2 2 4 4 2 
			 Hertfordshire 6 10 10 7 4 6 5 6 0 0 
			 Humberside 18 8 7 10 5 7 7 7 7 7 
			 Isle of Wight 2 1 1 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 
			 Kent 12 12 7 5 5 9 11 9 9 5 
			 Lancashire 21 19 22 15 15 17 14 26 13 15 
			 Leicestershire 9 10 4 9 3 1 5 7 4 9 
			 Lincolnshire 6 4 2 7 3 4 4 6 4 4 
			 Norfolk 2 2 5 1 5 9 6 2 4 3 
			 North Yorkshire 5 7 7 8 4 2 4 5 5 2 
			 Northamptonshire 4 3 8 8 5 3 3 3 3 3 
			 Northumberland 3 0 3 1 2 1 6 0 3 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 4 11 16 10 8 3 6 6 4 5 
			 Oxfordshire 4 10 4 8 5 1 3 6 4 2 
			 Shropshire 1 1 3 0 1 8 2 4 1 1 
			 Somerset 3 5 4 1 0 1 5 5 4 2 
			 Staffordshire 8 7 10 8 7 8 7 5 3 6 
			 Suffolk 9 0 6 6 1 3 5 4 4 2 
			 Surrey 2 4 5 6 3 7 2 4 7 2 
			 Warwickshire 1 1 2 4 2 5 6 0 1 2 
			 West Sussex 1 2 5 4 7 3 2 4 4 12 
			 Wiltshire 3 7 4 0 1 0 4 6 2 1 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			
			 England—met counties 192 190 182 181 160 162 170 135 169 132 
			
			 Greater Manchester 27 24 29 24 29 23 27 17 29 17 
			 Merseyside 15 19 10 21 8 22 15 11 10 13 
			 South Yorkshire 8 11 6 12 11 12 18 5 13 12 
			 Tyne and Wear 6 12 5 16 5 5 7 5 8 4 
			 West Midlands 26 19 16 19 22 30 23 20 17 17 
			 West Yorkshire 29 35 24 23 20 22 12 21 25 23 
			 Greater London 81 70 92 66 65 48 68 56 67 46 
		
	
	(42) Includes fatal casualties recorded during periods of industrial action in 2002 and 2003.
	Source:
	Fire and Rescue Service FDR1 returns to ODPM.

Homelessness

John Leech: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people are classed as homeless in (a) Manchester and (b) Withington constituency.

Yvette Cooper: Information about local authorities' actions under homelessness legislation is collected in respect of households, rather than persons, and at local authority rather than constituency level.
	This is summarised in a quarterly Statistical Release, the latest of which was published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on 13 March. A supplementary table presents key information at local authority level, including outcomes of all decisions made between 1 October and 31 December 2005, and numbers in temporary accommodation on 31 December 2005. Copies are available in the House of Commons Library, and from the ODPM website at:
	http://www.odpm.gov.uk/index.asp?id:=1002882&PressNoticeID=2095
	The duty owed to a person accepted as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need is to secure suitable accommodation. If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority may secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomesavailable. As an alternative to the provision of temporary accommodation some authorities arrange for households to remain in their current accommodation (homeless at home), until a settled solution becomes available.
	Information is also collected separately by the department on the number of people who sleep rough, that is, those who are literally roofless on a single night. In April 2005 Manchester City Council carried out a count of rough sleepers and counted 7 persons sleeping rough. No information is available at constituency level and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment (a) his Department and (b) Ordnance Survey has made of the implications of the EU's plans for Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community (INSPIRE).

Jim Fitzpatrick: Defra is the UK Policy Lead department on INSPIRE. Defra has completed the partial Regulatory Impact Assessment covering the benefits and cost to UK. This Regulatory Impact Assessment accompanied a supplementary explanatory memorandum sent to the appropriate Scrutiny Committees on 26 May 2005.

Local Government Staff

Robert Syms: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the average salaries of (a) male and (b) female employees in local government.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 21 March 2006
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the average salaries of (a) male and (b) female employees in local government. (60016)
	Average earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and are provided for full time employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence. This is the standard definition used for ASHE. The ASHE does not collect data on the self employed and people who do unpaid work.
	I attach a table showing Average Gross Weekly Earnings by male and female for the year 2005. Employees in local government have been defined as those employed by an organisation with legal status 6 (local authority) on the Inter-departmental Business Register.
	The ASHE, carried out in April of each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. It is a one per cent. sample of all employees who are members of pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) schemes.
	
		2005 Gross weekly (£) pay for full time local government employee jobs(43) by gender
		
			  Median Mean 
		
		
			 Male 543.6 574.7 
			 Female 457.7 483.2 
		
	
	(43)Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence.
	Note:
	The median replaces the mean as the headline statistic. The weighted mean is the sum of the weighted values divided by the sum of the weights. The median is the value below which 50 per cent. of employees fall. It is preferred over the mean for earnings data as it is influenced less by extreme values and because of the skewed distribution of earnings data.
	Source:
	Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics.

Oil-Fired Technical Association

Graham Stringer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the timetable is for the formal review of the Oil-Fired Technical Association prior to its registration.

Jim Fitzpatrick: pursuant to the answer given on 16 February 2006, Official Report, column 2243W
	The next review of the scheme will be in the context of its seeking accreditation from the United Kingdom Advisory Service, which must be achieved by 1 April 2008 at the latest.

Parliamentary Questions

David Laws: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to answer question 19739 tabled by the hon. Member for Yeovil on 18 October 2005.

Yvette Cooper: I have answered the hon. Member's question today. I apologise for the delay in replying.

Planning (Disused Airfields)

John Pugh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whatfactors led to the change of planning guidance on the use of disused airports for the building of domestic units.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to the hon. Member on 20 March 2006, Official Report, column 67W.

Planning Regulations

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what changes the Government has made to planning regulations to development on (a) current and (b) former airfields since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has published no regulations relating to the development of current or former airfields since 1997.
	Planning Policy Guidance Note 13: Transport (PPG13), published in 2001, built on the policy set out in the previous PPG13 published in 1994, stating that local authorities should avoid at or close to an airport or airfield development that would be incompatible with any existing or potential aviation operations.
	Planning Policy Guidance Note 3: Housing (PPG3), published in 2000, and draft Planning Policy Statement 3: Housing (PPS3), published for consultation in December 2005, proposed no policy change in relation to the development for housing of current or former airfield sites. PPG3 set out the definition of previously-developed land for the purposes for planning for housing, derived from urban land uses based on the Land Use Change Statistics classification introduced in 1985 but not previously articulated in planning guidance. The proposed changes to PPG3 reflected in Annex A of draft PPS3 on definitions are not intended to affect the application of the definition of previously-developed land to current or former airfields.

Social Housing

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) social housing units and (b) units of shared equity housing have been made available in West Lancashire in each year since 1980.

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many social housing units have been made available in Merton in each year since 1980.

Iain Wright: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many units of social housing have been made available in Hartlepool in each year since 1980.

Adam Holloway: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many new-build units of affordable housing have been built in (a) Gravesham and (b) Kent in each year since 1996–97.

Andrew Smith: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many units of social housing have been completed in Oxford City in each of the last 10 years.

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) social housing units and (b) units of shared equity housing have been made available in each London borough in each year since 1990.

Yvette Cooper: The numbers of affordable homes provided (new build and acquisitions) for social rent on behalf of each English local authority since 1991–92 has been placed in the Library of the House. The table shows social rented dwellings funded by the Housing Corporation and through Local Authority Social Housing Grant. Information on local authority built social rent dwellings is shown by region only. Information for the financial year 1990–91 is not available.
	Since 1997 substantial additional resources have been made available for refurbishment to the social housing stock alongside new building. Building costs and land costs have also risen. We plan to provide 75,000 social rented properties over the three years 2004–05 to 2007–08. That is an additional 10,000 homes by 2007–08; a 50 per cent. increase on 2004–05. This extra provision will be achieved through a mix of new build and acquisition. In 2005/06 an estimated 20,000 social rented home will be provided through the Housing Corporation's Approved Development Programme and Transitional local Authority Social Housing Grant. In addition the Government have provided significant additional resources for shared equity schemes.
	Planned annual housing requirements are developed as part of the Regional Spatial Strategies. The Government response to Kate Barker's Review outlined their ambition to increase housing delivery in England over the next decade to 200,000 net additions per year, from current delivery of around 150,000 net additions per year.

Town Twinning

Tony Baldry: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his department provides support for town twinning initiatives.

Phil Woolas: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister sponsors the Local Government International Bureau (LGIB) through the top-sliced Revenue Support Grant. The LGIB supports and co-ordinates town-twinning on behalf of local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Travelator

John Leech: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps his Department has taken to enforce the planning condition which required construction of a travelator between the two Stratford stations.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Responsibility for enforcing the planning condition requiring the construction of a fully enclosed pedestrian link such as a travelator or similar mode of conveying people between the international and regional stations at Stratford lies with Newham council as local planning authority. If the scheme's promoters, Union Railways, wish to seek the removal or variation of the condition, they would need to apply to Newham council. Should Newham council refuse the application, there would be the usual right of appeal to the First Secretary of State of State.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Mental Capacity Act Code of Practice"

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many copies of the consultation paper Mental Capacity Act Code of Practice" were distributed by her Department; if she will list those who were sent copies; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: 491 copies of the consultation paper and draft Code of Practice have so far been sent to private individuals and professional organisations and associations in the healthcare, welfare and voluntary sectors. A detailed list of these organisations can be found at the front of the consultation paper on the Mental Capacity Act draft Code of Practice. We anticipate further copies being sent out as the consultation period progresses.

Mental Capacity Act Code of Practice"

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much was spent by her Department on producing the consultation paper Mental Capacity Act Code of Practice"; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: We have therefore produced copies of the draft code of practice and the accompanying consultation paper in English, Welsh versions, as well as producing Easy Read information on the draft code. We have also produced audio versions of this Easy Read information. The total cost for this was £44,000.

Mental Capacity Act Code of Practice"

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what recent discussions her Department has had with organisations known by her Department to be opposed to the Mental Capacity Act 2005; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: Ministers and officials have had meetings and contact with a wide range of organisations since the Mental Capacity Act 2005 received Royal Assent. These organisations have a variety of opinions on different sections of the Act. We will continue to agree to requests for meetings in the future.

Adoption and Children Act 2002

Annette Brooke: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  what measures she has put in place to ensure that the implementation date for section 122 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002 is met; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  when section 122 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002 will be implemented; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what are the reasons for the delay in the implementation of section 122 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  what discussions she has had with (a) other Government Departments and (b) interested parties on the implementation of section 122 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002; and if she will make a statement;
	(5)  whether she plans to take alternative measures before section 122 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002 is brought into force; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement of 11 January 2006, House of Lords, Official Report, column WS11, by Baroness Ashton of Upholland: Subsection 1(a) of section 122 of the Adoption and Children Act came into force on 30 December 2005. The date for implementation of rules under section 122, subsections 1(b) and 2, has not been decided. There have been no discussions with other Government Departments and interested parties at ministerial level. However, a period of consultation will take place prior to implementation. In the meantime, existing provisions for the representation of children remain in force.

Court Bailiffs

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the number of court bailiffs covering (a) the Central London County Court jurisdiction and (b) England and Wales; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: The responsibility for ensuring adequate resources are made available for civil enforcement by the county courts rests with Her Majesty's Court Service but I am satisfied that sufficient bailiff numbers are in place both in relation to London and nationally.

Court Bailiffs

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what estimate she has made of the costs to business of delays in the court bailiff service (a) in the Central London County Court jurisdiction and (b) in England and Wales; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: The responsibility for ensuring the service provided by court bailiff teams rests with Her Majesty's Courts Service and current performance is meeting agreed targets.

Court Bailiffs

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the extent of the waiting list is for court bailiff action in (a) the Central London County Court jurisdiction and (b) England and Wales.

Harriet Harman: Information about the extent of the waiting list for court bailiff action in (a) the Central London County Court jurisdiction and (b) England and Wales, is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Court Bailiffs

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what funding has been allocated for 2005–06 to the court bailiff service in (a) the Central London County Court and (b) England and Wales.

Harriet Harman: The information is as follows:
	(a) The budget allocated in respect of court bailiff services to Central London County Court for 2005–06, was £202,000.
	(b) The budget allocated in respect of court bailiff services to the civil courts across the whole of England and Wales for 2005–06, was £16.4 million.

Drug Courts

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what initial assessment has been made of the drug court pilots launched in December 2005; if she will make a statement

Harriet Harman: After the launch of the Dedicated Drug Courts (DDC) pilots at Leeds and West London magistrates courts in December 2005, the project team is working closely with the judiciary, court staff and partner agencies to ensure successful implementation of the processes at the courts.
	The impact of the DDC can only be demonstrated, however, in the longer term and therefore an evaluation will not be completed until July 2007. These findings will be used to inform decisions about the potential for future roll out to other courts in England and Wales.

Electoral Fraud

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps the Government plan to take to ensure prosecutions are brought for electoral fraud.

Bridget Prentice: Decisions on prosecutions are for the Crown Prosecution Service to make.
	The Electoral Administration Bill will introduce a number of measures that will strengthen the current offences under electoral law, and create new offences. For example, it will create a new offence of falsely applying for a postal vote, and strengthens the offence of undue influence.

Electoral Reform

Eric Pickles: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what (a) changes to past electoral practices, (b) pilots and (c) new rules on electoral fraud she expects to be ratified in (i) primary and (ii) secondary legislation and operational for the May 2006 local elections.

Bridget Prentice: The information is as follows.
	(a) The Electoral Administration Bill currently before Parliament contains a number of measures that affect electoral practices and address electoral fraud. The Bill will not be in force before the May 2006 local elections. The Local Elections (Principal Areas and Parishes and Communities) (Amendment) (England and Wales) Rules 2006 change the hours of polling at local, parish and community council elections from 8am to 9 pm to 7 am to 10 pm. The rules were made on 16 February and will come into force on 24 March, and will apply at the May 2006 local elections.
	(b) A number of local authorities are piloting at the May 2006 local elections provisions included in the Electoral Administration Bill. These include:
	the use of ballot papers without counterfoils;
	the use of a postal voting statement for postal votes signed only by the elector, instead of the traditional declaration of identity;
	a marked register of returned postal votes to be made available after the close of poll; and
	the signing for ballot papers at polling stations.
	(c) The Representation of the People (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2006 contain a range of measures that improve access to the electoral process and the security of postal voting. They were made on 9 March and will come into force on 23 March, and will apply at the May 2006 local elections. The provisions that prevent postal vote fraud are:
	electoral administrators will be required to confirm in writing the outcome of postal vote applications;
	postal voters will have to give a reason for the re-direction of their postal vote;
	the closing date for postal vote applications will be moved from 6 to 11 days before polling day to give administrators more time to check applications;
	electoral administrators may check signatures on postal vote applications against any other signatures they may hold.
	(The 10 new measures in the Electoral Administration Bill that tackle electoral fraud and will come into affect after the Bill receives Royal Assent are:
	there will be a new offence of falsely applying for a postal or proxy vote;
	there will be new secrecy warnings on postal and proxy voting papers to deter any attempt unlawfully to influence another person's vote;
	ballot papers will have a security mark and a barcode to enable quick security checks for stolen postal votes;
	after every election a list of all those who voted by post will be published which will enable individuals to check that their vote was counted. And in an investigation the police will be able to check up with any individual whether they did actually vote by post or whether their vote was stolen;
	there will be a new criminal offence of supplying false information or failing to supply information to the electoral registration officer at any time;
	there will be a new, strengthened offence of undue influence which will make it easier to prosecute, even if the undue influence does not effect the way someone votes;
	the police will be given more time to carry out investigations into electoral fraud—increased from one to two years;
	voters will have to sign for their ballot paper at the polling station to deter fraudsters and allow signatures to be checked if there is suspicion of fraud;
	electoral administrators will have clear new powers to cross check applications to register to vote against other information the council holds—to check whether the person trying to register does actually exist and live at that address;
	there will be a pilot programme to try out a new system of making people sign and give their date of birth before they get on the electoral register.)

Energy Efficiency

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps she is taking to increase energy efficiency within her Department; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: My Department is fully committed to reducing carbon emissions and is signed up to the Government's Energy White Paper which sets targets of reducing absolute carbon from fuel and energy efficiency used in buildings on their estate by 12.5 per cent. by 2010–11 relative to 1999–2000. My Department also fully recognises the need for Government Departments to show leadership on energy efficiency.
	In an effort to promote this work, my Department has invested £1 million in energy saving works over the last 12 months. Works undertaken include surveying our recently transferred magistrates court buildings. This has identified key energy saving works which, when implemented at low or no cost will contribute to the Department's energy savings. In addition, old energy inefficient equipment is being replaced. All sites on the estate are monitored on a monthly basis for energy usage.
	The Department has recently joined the OGC utilities contract and all the Department's smaller sites are receiving 'green' electricity.

European Employment Practices

Christopher Chope: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what action she is taking to ensure that English notaries are able to practise in other European countries.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 14 March 2006
	I have been asked to reply.
	The Government have supported the inclusion of notary services within the European Commission's proposal for a directive on services in the internal market. However, in its first reading of the directive the European Parliament has proposed excluding those exercising official authority from the scope of the directive, and specifically identifies notaries as an example. This would have the effect of excluding notaries from the scope of the directive. Discussions on the scope of the directive are continuing.
	The UK SOLVIT Centre in DTI, which helps businesses and citizens enforce their EU cross-border rights, is also taking forward a case on behalf of an English notary.

Legal Advice

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to her answer of 9 March 2006 to the hon. Member for Wirral, South, what assessment she has made of the likely effect on the quality of front-line advice of the decision to withdraw access to specialist and complex legal advice.

Harriet Harman: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State (Bridget Prentice) to my hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East (Keith Vaz) on 15 February 2006, Official Report, column 2145W.

Middlesex Guildhall

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to her answer of 8 March 2006, Official Report, column 1579W, on Middlesex Guildhall, whether she has asked officials in her Department to make alternative plans for the site of the new Supreme Court; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: Middlesex Guildhall has been identified as the best location for a Supreme Court for the United Kingdom. The Department has undertaken the required planning and consultation to ensure the Supreme Court can be established at Middlesex Guildhall.

Sentencing Guidelines

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what sentencing guidelines she issues to magistrates and judges; what circumstances she takes into account when drawing up such guidance; what compulsion there is for magistrates and judges to follow these guidelines; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: Responsibility for issuing sentencing guidelines lies with the Sentencing Guidelines Council, which was created by section 167 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003. Section 172 of that Act places a duty on the court to have regard to any sentencing guidelines that have been issued by the Sentencing Guidelines Council.
	The Government do not issue sentencing guidelines to judges and magistrates.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Consultants

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list departmental projects conducted by consultants in each year since 2000; what the cost was in each case; and what the total cost of employing consultants was in each year.

Charles Clarke: Information on whether departmental projects are conducted by consultants or Home Office staff is not held centrally and to obtain this information would incur disproportionate cost.
	The information held by the Home Office on its spending on consultants is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2000–01 27,877,286 
			 2001–02 21,147,058 
			 2002–03 (44)— 
			 2003–04 106,800,000 
			 2004–05 46,900,000 
		
	
	(44)Not held
	We do not hold information on the Department's total expenditure on consultants for 2002–03 and to obtain this information would incur disproportionate cost.
	The best information available for the financial year2003–04 from interrogation of the Business and Accounting Strategic System (BASS), indicates that the cost of external consultants to the department in 2003–04 was £106.8 million.
	The best information available for the financial year2004–05 from the interrogation of the Adelphi Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system Accounts Payable Module indicates that the cost of external consultants to the Department was £46.9 million.
	The Department awards contracts in open competition according to the EU Procurement Regulations based on best value for money. The use of external consultants in the Home Office provides the Department with specialist knowledge, skill, capacity and technical expertise that is not otherwise available in house.

Correspondence

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality will reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood, dated 22 November 2005 (acknowledgement B28011/5) on behalf of Lukusa Dan Mukendi, Home Office Reference M1059271.

Tony McNulty: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood about Mr. Mukendi on 22 December 2005.

Correspondence

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Immigration and Nationality Directorate will respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Banbury of 17 October 2005 concerning Fatemah Sayyabi.

Tony McNulty: The Director General of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to the hon. Member on 17 March.

Criminal Records Bureau

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people applying for positions within residential care and nursing homes are awaiting clearance from the Criminal Records Bureau in (a) the East Riding of Yorkshire, (b) Hull and (c) England.

Charles Clarke: The information requested by the hon. Member for Haltemprice and Howden is not available. The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) is unable to provide information on disclosure applications based on specific employment sectors or geographical areas.
	The CRB aims to complete disclosure applications across all sectors within the shortest time possible. Its published service standards are to issue 93 per cent. of standard disclosures within two weeks and 90 per cent. of enhanced disclosures within four weeks for all applications.

Dangerous Dogs Act

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions were (a) brought and (b) successful under (i) section 1 and (ii) section 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on the number of people prosecuted under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 for England and Wales, from 2000 to 2004, is shown in the table.
	Court statistics for 2005 will be available in Autumn 2006.
	
		Number of defendants prosecuted at magistrates court and found guilty at all courts under sections 1 and 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, in England and Wales, 2000 to 2004(45)
		
			   2000 2001 2002 
			  Offence Act  Offence Description  Prosecuted Found guilty  Prosecuted Found guilty  Prosecuted Found guilty 
		
		
			 Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 section 1 
			 Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 section 1(2) (a) Breeding or breeding from a fighting dog 2 — 1 — 6 3 
			 Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 section 1(2) (b) Selling, exchanging, offering, advertising or exposing for sale a fighting dog 1 — — — — — 
			 Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 section 1(2) (c) Giving or offering to give a fighting dog — — — — — — 
			 Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 section 1(2) (d) Allowing a fighting dog to be in a public place without a muzzle or a lead 9 6 4 2 3 2 
			 Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 section 1(2) (e) Abandoning, or allowing to stray, a fighting dog — — — — 1 0 
			 Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 section 1(3) Possession, without exemption, of a Pit Bull terrier, Japanese Tosa or other designated fighting dog 5 2 4 2 6 2 
			 
			 Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 section 3   
			 Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 section 3(1) Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place injuring any person 458 260 490 285 537 300 
			 Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 section 3(1) Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a Public place, no injury being caused 48 32 50 31 38 30 
			 Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 section 3(3) Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a non-public place and injure any person 266 130 278 157 284 150 
			 Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 section 3(3) Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a non-public place causing reasonable apprehension of injury to a person 24 13 20 14 18 7 
		
	
	
		
			   2003 2004 
			  Offence Act  Offence Description  Prosecuted Found guilty  Prosecuted Found guilty 
		
		
			 Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 section 1 
			 Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 section 1(2) (a) Breeding or breeding from a fighting dog 4 2 15 14 
			 Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 section 1(2) (b) Selling, exchanging, offering, advertising or exposing for sale a fighting dog — — — — 
			 Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 section 1(2) (c) Giving or offering to give a fighting dog — — — — 
			 Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 section 1(2) (d) Allowing a fighting dog to be in a public place without a muzzle or a lead 2 0 2 1 
			 Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 section 1(2) (e) Abandoning, or allowing to stray, a fighting dog — — — — 
			 Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 section 1(3) Possession, without exemption, of a Pit Bull terrier, Japanese Tosa or other designated fighting dog 1 1 5 2 
			   
			 Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 section 3  
			 Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 section 3(1) Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place injuring any person 560 302 597 350 
			 Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 section 3(1) Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a Public place, no injury being caused 52 33 48 25 
			 Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 section 3(3) Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a non-public place and injure any person 329 171 290 167 
			 Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 section 3(3) Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a non-public place causing reasonable apprehension of injury to a person 20 10 11 5 
		
	
	(45)These data are on the principal offence basis.
	—=Nil
	Source:
	RDS-Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Departmental Expenditure

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent by his Department on media training in each year since 1997–98.

Charles Clarke: The costs of Press Office media training are as follows:
	
		£
		
			 Financial year Total spend 
		
		
			 1997–98 268 
			 1998–99 6,204 
			 1999–2000 13,152 
			 2000–01 20,534 
			 2001–02 27,777 
			 2002–03 14,764 
			 2003–04 22,226 
			 2004–05 27,234 
		
	
	The above costs cover the main media training suppliers used by the Press Office. Other costs cannot be provided due to disproportionate cost.

Departmental Staff

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are taken by the Department to support staff with mental ill-health.

Charles Clarke: The Home Office with its Executive agencies has put in place a range of steps to support staff with mental ill health. In-house welfare officers, working in partnership with line managers and the occupational health provider, give practical and timely support to staff with mental ill health so that they are rehabilitated and remain effective at work or, where absent, make a managed return to work. The Department is introducing the HSE Stress Management Standards with the support of the Health and Safety Executive.

Departmental Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are employed in his Department to deal with the criminal justice aspects of (a) drugs and (b) alcohol misuse.

Fiona Mactaggart: Drugs and alcohol-related crime are serious social problems and also contribute to the commission of other crimes. For this reason it is not always possible to determine whether a person is employed to deal with these matters specifically, as opposed to dealing with them as part of a wider issue, such as anti-social behaviour, or the support of the police. The units which are specifically tasked with addressing these issues, or which deal with directly related matters are staffed as shown in the table, but civil servants within other parts of the Home Office may also have a role to play in reducing drug and alcohol related crime and its wider effects. Additionally the criminal justice aspects of drug misuse form only one facet of the Drug Strategy and civil servants in other government departments and the government offices also play an important role in reducing the harm caused by drug and alcohol misuse. In some cases the staff within a unit can be identified as working specifically on drug or alcohol related-crime issues. Where this is possible the figure given is that of the staff so identified not the total compliment of the unit.
	
		
			  Area of work  Home Office Directorate and Unit Full-time equivalent staffing at 28 February (46) rounded 
		
		
			  Crime Reduction and Community Safety (CRCSG) units below:  
			 Drugs Drug Strategy Directorate 146 
			 Alcohol Violent Crime Unit(47) 8 
			  Alcohol Policy Team, Alcohol Harm Reduction Programme  
			 Alcohol Police Standards Unit(47) and Violent Crime Strategy Team(47) 7 
			  National Offender Management Service (NOMS) HQ units below:  
			
			 Drugs NOMS Drug Strategy Unit (47) 25 
			 Drugs Prison Service Juvenile Substance Misuse Service (JSMS) Central Policy Team(47) 4 
			 Drugs National Probation Directorate(47) 6 
		
	
	(46) Full unit compliment as recorded centrally unless otherwise footnoted
	(47) Subset of unit compliment

DNA Profiles

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2006, Official Report, column 954W, on DNA profiles, if he will break down the 139,463 people who have a DNA profile on the National DNA Database and who were perceived as (a) of minority ethnic origin and (b) white by local authority area.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 17 March 2006
	The information is not available in the form requested. The subject sample profile records held on the National DNA Database relate to police force area, not local authority area.

Electronic Tagging

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what sanctions are available for use against private firms responsible for electronic tagging which do not meet service level requirements.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Home Office conducts a monthly audit of the performance of the two current electronic monitoring service providers against a range of performance measures. A failure to meet the specified service levels results in financial deductions from the amount paid to them for providing the service. Since the start of the current contracts in April 2005, a total of £130,000 has been deducted from both service providers.
	The contracts contain standard provisions enabling the Government to terminate them early if the contractor defaults on the provision of the service.

EU Accession Countries (Employment Figures)

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people from EU accession countries were working in the UK in the latest month for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 17 March 2006
	The Accession Monitoring Report for May 2004-December 2005 sets out the number of citizens from the EU Accession countries (A8 nationals) who have applied to register with the Worker Registration Scheme (WRS) during this period. This report is available on the Home Office IND website via: http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/ind/en/home/about_us/reports/accession_monitoring.html.

Home Detention Curfew

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many home detention curfew applications were turned down in each year since 2001; how many of those were appealed against; and how many appeals were successful.

Fiona Mactaggart: Prisoners who are held in prison service establishments and contracted prisons in England and Wales may be considered for early release under the Home Detention Curfew (HDC) scheme if they meet the statutory and administrative eligibility criteria and supply details of a proposed curfew address.
	Information on the number of eligible prisoners who, according to the prison service Inmate Information System, were refused HDC in each year since 2001 is given in the table. Information on the reasons for the refusal of individual applications, and the outcome of appeals could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		Number of prisoners refused home detention curfew in England and Wales since 2001
		
			  Refused 
		
		
			 2001 20,080 
			 2002 14,320 
			 2003 13,329 
			 2004 11,888 
			 2005 11,960 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. These statistics are based on information recorded on the central; prison service IT system on 28 February 2006.
	2. Further updates and amendments may be made to records on this system in future resulting in revised figures.

Howard League for Penal Reform

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter from the Howard League for Penal Reform of 28 October 2005 suggesting a public inquiry into the treatment of SP, a juvenile girl.

Fiona Mactaggart: We are considering the issues raised by the Howard League for Penal Reform and will write in reply as soon as the position is clearer.

Legal Services Commission

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the implications for the (a) workload and (b) case management of the Immigration and Nationality Department of the decision by the Legal Services Commission to withdraw funding for specialist support and advice on immigration matters; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The decision by the Legal Services Commission (LSC) to withdraw specialist support funding should have a minimal impact on the workload and case management of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate.
	Specialist support services form part of the LSC special projects budget that was reviewed in the summer 2005 against a number of criteria. The LSC concluded that as specialist support services provide advice in civil categories of law to other legal advisors and not directly to clients, this did not represent the most cost-effective approach to meet the increasing need for front-line advice. The LSC has therefore decided not to continue funding for specialist support from July 2006.
	The LSC's decision means resources will be refocused with the aim of increasing access to legal services for vulnerable people.

Legal Services Commission

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions his Department has had with (a) the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux, (b) the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants and (c) pro-bono law firms about the implications of the decision by the Legal Services Commission to withdraw funding for specialist support and advice on immigration matters; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: I am not aware the Home Department have had any discussions with any of the organisations mentioned on this subject. The Legal Services Commission (LSC) advise that the impact of the withdrawal of specialist support funding is expected to be minimal. A rapid expansion of the LSC's supplier base in the immigration and asylum category justified a specialist support mechanism for advisers at the time of its introduction but since then the quality of immigration and asylum advice has increased substantially. The LSC has introduced the Immigration and Asylum Accreditation Scheme, which involves the testing and accreditation of individual advisers, and which became compulsory from August 2005. Higher quality standards have obviated the need for specialist support beyond that which will still be available through the instruction of specialist counsel in a small number of specific and complex cases.

National Offender Management Service

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether probation boards have a statutory duty to enter into service level agreements with regional offender managers under the National Offender Management Service arrangements.

Fiona Mactaggart: Regional Offender Managers (ROMs) will be commissioning services from prison and probation areas through Service Level Agreements (SLAs) from 1 April 2006. The current legislative framework which sets out the statutory duties of probation boards remains in place, and is unchanged by the creation of SLAs. However, the SLAs are the key mechanism for introducing commissioning, and signed SLAs will demonstrate the strength of the relationships. Legal authority is derived from the fact that ROMs are Crown servants exercising the powers of the Secretary of State.

Life Imprisonment

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been sentenced to life imprisonment since 1992; and of these how many served (a) less than five years, (b) between five and 10 years, (c) between 10 and 15 years and (d) between 15 and 20 years before being released on licence.

Fiona Mactaggart: Information on time served for the first release on licence of life sentenced prisoners is given in the following table.
	
		Reception of prisoners under a life sentence since 1992, by time served before first release on licence
		
			   Time served by prisoner when released on licence 
			 Year sentenced Number of prisoners received under life sentences(48) Less than five years Five and less than 10 years 10 and less than 15 years 
		
		
			 1992 236 1 26 41 
			 1993 243 — 24 36 
			 1994 222 — 32 23 
			 1995 280 1 32 2 
			 1996 338 2 24 — 
			 1997 384 8 14 — 
			 1998 413 10 15 — 
			 1999 483 23 7 — 
			 2000 484 19 — — 
			 2001 512 5 — — 
			 2002 533 6 — — 
			 2003 509 — — — 
			 2004 582 — — — 
		
	
	Source:
	Prison Service IT system.

Management of Detained Cases Unit

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people held in detention who claimed to be victims of torture have had their case referred to his Department's Management of Detained Cases Unit in the last 12 months; what decisions were made in their cases; how many have not yet had a decision on their case; what the (a) average and (b) longest time is for those still awaiting a decision; what the (i) average and (ii) longest times were from referral to decision in those cases where a decision has been made; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Rule 35 (3) of the Detention Centre Rules 2001 (SI 238 2001) requires medical practitioners to report to the manager of Immigration Service Removal Centres any cases where there is concern that an individual may have been the victim of torture. It is sufficient for a detainee to claim torture for rule 35(3) to be triggered. Such information may not always be referred to the Management of Detained Cases Unit (MODCU) given that MODCU take responsibility for detained cases after the 28th day of detention. MODCU do, however, have responsibility for managing all cases relating to the detention of families with children from the outset. Caseworkers are required to consider what action may be necessary in the light of such information. Records of the number of cases referred under rule 35(3) and details of what happened in those cases is not held centrally and could only be obtained through examination of individual files at disproportionate cost.

Passports

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide the estimated costs, disaggregated from the overall increase in passport costs, of (a) the Authentication by Interview scheme, (b) the acquisition of the 69 potential sites for new passport offices, (c) the Personal Identification Project and (d) the setting up of systems to capture and record fingerprints in passports.

Charles Clarke: With regard to the Authentication by Interview scheme a contract has been signed with Mapeley AbI Provider Ltd. to provide premises and facilities management services.
	The contract value is £55 million for a contract period of three years. Further costs will be incurred, for example for provision of IT support and for staffing of the offices.
	These costs have been included in the estimated costs for the first year of AbI operation which have been aggregated within the total estimated unit cost of 57.93p for 2006–07 published in the UKPS Corporate Plan.
	The Personal Identification Project (PIP) is in pilot operation at present and the estimated costs will depend on the outcome of the pilot and full roll out across the UKPS offices. The main impact of PIP is in staffing costs; these are part of the overall UKPS passport examiner costs and PIP is to be fully integrated into normal business processes. The predicted cost impacts are also built into the above 2006–07 unit cost.
	The cost estimates for second generation biometric passports incorporating fingerprints will partly depend on the timing of their introduction. While our current assumption is that they will be issued prior to the introduction of ID cards, no final decision has been made on the timing as this depends on the ID Cards Bill, implementation timetable of the EU Passport Regulation and the Government's challenge to its scope. Publishing at this stage would put at risk the ability to secure value for money in negotiations with potential suppliers so these costs are commercial in confidence.

Passports

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK passports were issued in Northern Ireland in 2005; and how many checks were made of the authenticity of those giving counter signatures in that year.

Andy Burnham: The number of passport applications and counter signature verification checks processed by the United Kingdom Passport Service at the Belfast office are as follows:
	
		
			  2005 
		
		
			 Total applications processed by Belfast office 308,107 
			 Applications with counter signatures(48) 94,200 
		
	
	(48) The volume of counter signature checks relates directly to the volume of new passport applications and the volume of passport applications to replace lost or stolen passports. Counter signature verification is carried out on all of these applications.
	Note:
	The volume of passport applications processed via the UKPS Belfast office is not directly related to the volume of passports requested by the residents of Northern Ireland. Applications processed in Belfast can be sourced from locations across the UK. Data specific to the origin of applications is not available.

Passports

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria are used for deciding (a) when and (b) whether a passport holder may renew their passport.

Andy Burnham: British Passport holders may surrender their existing passport for renewal at any time they choose. The full fee must be paid and no refund can be given in respect of unexpired validity in the old passport. The UK Passport Service will add up to 9 months of unexpired validity from the old passport to the new one.

Prisoners

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what impact he expects identity tracking of prison visitors to have on (a) drug trafficking and (b) the supply of contraband in prisons; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: A wide range of measures are already in place to deal with visitors involved in drug trafficking and the supply of contraband. Around 25 prisons have introduced biometrics of visitors with a further 20 planned. The tracking of visitors using biometric technology will provide establishments with greater assurance as to the identity of visitors and assist in enforcing the measures imposed on those visitors found to have been smuggling drugs and contraband.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the role of intervention teams in the performance of prisons.

Fiona Mactaggart: There is no current system for sending 'intervention teams' into prisons to improve performance. As the National Offender Management Service develops its commissioning arrangements, it will continue to look primarily to line management—whether in the public sector Prison Service or the contracted sector—to remedy under-performance, reinforcing or replacing prison managers as necessary. Under service level agreements and contracts the Regional Offender Managers may require providers to produce a specific recovery plan to address particular difficulties.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of HM Chief Inspector of Prisons' conclusions that some centrally set prison standards and targets were unnecessary and distracting; what action he is taking to address those concerns; if he will list the centrally set prison standards and targets to which the Chief Inspector refers; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Chief Inspector of Prisons, Anne Owers CBE, does not recognise the words apparently attributed to her, but would not hesitate to criticise standards or targets as inappropriate where this is merited. Information on the Prison Inspectorate's independent inspection criteria, 'Expectations', may be found on the Inspectorate's website at:
	http://inspectorates.homeoffice.gov.uk/hmiprisons/.
	Prison standards and targets are a key part of processes for improving performance. The current suite of Prison Service Performance Standards provides a vital qualitative dimension to the performance management framework for prisons. Performance targets provide essential quantitative feedback. They ensure that operational managers are clear on what is expected of them and that they have information available that enables them to assess performance in establishments and identify the scope for further improvement. Information on Prison Service Standards and targets may be found on the Prison Service website at:
	www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk.
	The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is currently reviewing the performance management framework for prisons as commissioning relationships develop. The aim is a NOMS performance management system that enables effective, transparent monitoring and ensures clear lines of accountability are in place at every level of the organisation.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the prisons which exceeded maximum capacity in each of the last five years.

Fiona Mactaggart: No prisons have exceeded their maximum capacity in the last five years.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the prison population at each prison was detained two to a cell designed for one in each of the last five years.

Fiona Mactaggart: The following table shows the proportion of the population detained two to a cell designed for one in each prison establishment in England and Wales for the last five full financial years.
	
		Table showing the proportion of the prison population in England and Wales detained two to a cell designed for one in each establishment between 2000–01 and 2004–05.
		
			 Percentage 
			 Establishment name 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Acklington 0.00 n/a n/a 0.00 0.00 
			 Albany 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Altcourse n/a n/a 73.90 76.70 74.80 
			 Ashfield 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Ashwell 0.00 0.00 1.30 1.00 0.60 
			 Askham Grange 0.00 0.00 n/a n/a 0.00 
			 Aylesbury 0.00 0.10 0.30 0.90 0.30 
			 Bedford 42.10 35.60 53.10 55.30 51.30 
			 Belmarsh 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Birmingham 67.20 26.80 42.70 41.60 38.50 
			 Blakenhurst 41.80 21.50 24.40 25.70 24.60 
			 Blantyre House 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Blundeston 0.00 n/a 9.10 8.30 6.80 
			 Brinsford 19.90 14.40 12.30 11.50 10.00 
			 Bristol 11.90 15.00 14.70 15.00 53.50 
			 Brixton 35.90 31.50 31.70 29.50 28.40 
			 Brockhill 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Bronzefield n/a n/a n/a n/a 0.00 
			 Buckley Hall n/a 11.60 8.50 14.60 18.30 
			 Bullingdon 8.70 8.70 12.10 15.30 41.60 
			 Bullwood Hall 0.00 n/a 3.50 4.10 0.00 
			 Camp Hill 20.20 40.90 52.00 47.20 21.60 
			 Canterbury 70.20 74.20 80.50 81.80 76.30 
			 Cardiff 67.40 76.60 75.80 79.50 69.20 
			 Castington 0.00 n/a n/a 0.00 0.00 
			 Channings Wood 17.20 2.30 6.50 6.00 5.60 
			 Chelmsford 20.00 17.90 51.00 45.30 43.80 
			 Coldingley 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.00 4.80 
			 Cookham Wood 33.40 34.90 31.30 47.00 38.20 
			 Dartmoor 0.00 n/a 7.50 8.40 6.90 
			 Deerbolt 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Doncaster n/a n/a 31.40 61.90 58.00 
			 Dorchester 54.10 59.10 73.50 76.20 76.10 
			 Dovegate n/a n/a 1.00 7.50 7.20 
			 Dover 0.00 0.00 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Downview 9.70 1.30 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Drake Hall 0.00 0.00 n/a 0.00 0.00 
			 Durham 51.60 50.10 50.90 50.70 64.90 
			 East Sutton Park 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Eastwood Park 18.00 16.80 16.80 15.70 13.90 
			 Edmunds Hill n/a n/a n/a 0.00 0.00 
			 Elmley 24.50 21.50 25.00 24.50 24.80 
			 Erlestoke 0.00 0.30 3.30 3.90 3.80 
			 Everthorpe 7.00 13.80 12.90 13.70 12.90 
			 Exeter 69.40 29.10 23.70 41.50 78.40 
			 Featherstone 0.00 0.00 2.90 3.80 3.60 
			 Feltham 1.80 0.00 0.00 0.00 N/a 
			 Ford 0.00 0.00 0.00 n/a 0.00 
			 Forest Bank 0.00 0.00 0.00 17.70 21.90 
			 Foston Hall 0.00 0.00 n/a 0.00 n/a 
			 Frankland 0.00 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Full Sutton 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Garth 0.00 0.00 3.00 4.00 5.10 
			 Gartree 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 n/a 
			 Glen Parva 26.60 51.40 53.20 48.20 45.10 
			 Gloucester 51.60 57.70 60.70 55.30 52.10 
			 Grendon 0.00 n/a n/a 0.00 0.00 
			 Guys Marsh 11.80 12.50 14.10 12.70 11 .70 
			 Haslar 0.00 0.00 0.00 n/a n/a 
			 Hatfield 0.00 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Haverigg 0.00 0.10 2.20 1.90 2.30 
			 Hewell Grange 0.00 n/a 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 High Down 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Highpoint 0.00 0.50 5.50 6.10 5.40 
			 Hindley 0.00 0.00 2.20 1.80 0.00 
			 Hollesley Bay 0.00 n/a n/a n/a 0.00 
			 Holloway 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Holme House 0.00 9.40 20.60 21.00 26.10 
			 Hull 0.00 0.00 45.40 42.90 46.90 
			 Huntercombe 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Kingston 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Kirkham 0.00 0.00 0.00 n/a n/a 
			 Kirklevington 0.00 0.00 n/a n/a 0.00 
			 Lancaster 0.00 0.00 38.20 66.50 68.60 
			 Lancaster Farms 5.30 11.00 10.40 9.30 8.60 
			 Latchmere House 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Leeds 48.40 67.20 74.60 75.10 74.50 
			 Leicester 83.00 84.60 89.20 88.00 86.00 
			 Lewes 7.30 4.10 21 .20 29.00 27.70 
			 Leyhill 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Lincoln 64.30 63.40 59.70 68.00 69.80 
			 Lindholme 0.00 0.00 n/a n/a 1.70 
			 Littlehey 7.40 4.30 10.20 10.40 13.10 
			 Liverpool 23.90 32.20 32.30 34.60 32.40 
			 Long Lartin 0.00 0.00 0.00 n/a 0.00 
			 Low Newton 29.10 28.30 30.80 28.80 25.10 
			 Lowdham Grange n/a n/a 3.50 7.60 5.10 
			 Maidstone 15.40 0.10 0.00 0.00 21.00 
			 Manchester 25.80 48.00 57.40 56.30 55.60 
			 Moorland 6.20 6.10 7.10 5.80 5.50 
			 Morion Hall 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Mount 8.30 8.60 12.70 13.50 7.20 
			 New Hall 15.20 17.30 16.60 12.50 7.70 
			 North Sea Camp 0.00 0.00 0.00 n/a 0.00 
			 Northallerton 80.90 69.60 62.00 68.40 67.90 
			 Norwich 36.80 47.00 50.60 48.50 46.70 
			 Nottingham 24.70 45.50 53.40 56.70 62.10 
			 Onley 0.00 0.00 0.00 n/a 0.00 
			 Pare 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 12.80 
			 Parkhurst 4.60 0.20 0.00 7.60 7.50 
			 Pentonville 33.80 33.80 32.60 36.80 40.10 
			 Peterborough n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Portland 20.20 8.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Preston 72.60 79.90 84.40 91.40 90.20 
			 Ranby 9.00 11.70 15.50 20.00 16.20 
			 Reading 56.10 60.40 67.20 67.70 68.10 
			 Risley 0.00 4.40 6.30 4.70 5.50 
			 Rochester 3.80 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Rye Hill n/a n/a 15.20 14.20 10.40 
			 Send 0.00 n/a n/a n/a 0.00 
			 Shepton Mallet 48.90 8.80 25.30 24.00 23.10 
			 Shrewsbury 58.40 86.60 91.10 89.60 81.20 
			 Stafford 0.00 0.00 50.10 67.90 60.50 
			 Standford Hill 0.00 n/a 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Stocken 4.10 4.40 6.80 4.20 4.20 
			 Stoke Heath 7.80 3.40 28.80 28.80 23.70 
			 Styal 7.60 10.10 8.90 7.00 17.00 
			 Sudbury 0.00 n/a n/a 0.60 0.20 
			 Swaleside 0.00 0.40 3.10 3.20 3.00 
			 Swansea 68.90 60.10 77.60 71.60 68.50 
			 Swinfen Hall 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Thorn Cross 0.00 n/a 0.00 n/a n/a 
			 Usk·Prescoed 52.20 54.00 55.20 50.40 53.30 
			 Verne 5.10 6.40 9.20 9.70 9.20 
			 Wakefield 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Wandsworth 25.30 37.20 46.50 58.90 63.60 
			 Warren Hill n/a n/a n/a 0.00 0.00 
			 Wayland 5.70 6.20 11.40 11.90 10.90 
			 Wealstun 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Weare 8.10 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Wellingborough 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.60 3.90 
			 Werrington 12.20 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Wetherby 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.70 
			 Whatton 0.00 0.00 0.00 7.00 10.00 
			 Whitemoor 0.00 0.00 n/a 0.00 0.00 
			 Winchester 49.50 49.00 54.70 59.70 60.00 
			 Wolds n/a n/a 0.00 0.00 22.30 
			 Woodhill 16.60 13.90 24.40 29.50 31.30 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 0.00 1.00 7.40 10.20 10.60 
			 Wymott 0.00 0.00 3.00 4.00 3.30

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time equivalent prison officer vacancies there have been (a) at each prison and (b) in aggregate as measured against the operational staffing requirement in each year since 1997.

Fiona Mactaggart: The following table gives information on staff vacancies against operational staffing requirement at 31 March 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 for each public sector prison establishment and an aggregate shortfall, including staffing availability contributed by officers working contracted supplementary hours (CSH). Information prior to 2001 is not available and the contribution of CSH to staffing availability was not collated for 2001, 2002 and 2003. Therefore the stated shortfalls for these years show a higher shortfall than was the case. Data is not collated centrally on contracted prisons.
	
		Prison officer vacancies against operational staffing requirement in public sector in prisons in England and Wales between March 2001 and March 2005
		
			 Establishment 31 March 2001 31 March 2002 31 March 2003 31 March 2004 31 March 2005 
		
		
			 Acklington — 4 9 1 5 
			 Albany — 4 7 6 10 
			 Ashwell 11 2 3 7 5 
			 Askham Grange 1 — 2 1 — 
			 Aylesbury — 2 5 20 17 
			 Bedford — 12 20 15 4 
			 Belmarsh 9 13 48 20 26 
			 Birmingham — 6 3 27 30 
			 Blakenhurst — — 1 — 4 
			 Blantyre House 1 1 1 — 2 
			 Blundeston — — 1 2 1 
			 Brinsford 5 5 3 6 24 
			 Bristol 3 9 34 20 13 
			 Brixton 12 10 19 12 6 
			 Brockhill 3 11 2 3 5 
			 Buckley Hall — — 1 7 — 
			 Bullingdon 19 43 33 18 17 
			 Bullwood Hall 5 18 14 12 12 
			 Camp Hill — 4 — 7 — 
			 Canterbury 1 — — — 1 
			 Cardiff 1 14 10 3 — 
			 Castington 9 11 — 13 — 
			 Channings Wood 4 2 — — 4 
			 Chelmsford 9 12 — 13 8 
			 Coldingley 4 8 4 1 11 
			 Cookham Wood 1 7 10 3 — 
			 Dartmoor — — — 4 9 
			 Deerbolt — 1 21 2 — 
			 Dorchester 5 — 8 1 — 
			 Dover — 9 6 3 — 
			 Downview — 3 13 16 — 
			 Drake Hall 2 16 3 2 5 
			 Durham — 10 17 — — 
			 East Sutton Park — 1 — — — 
			 Eastwood Park 4 4 7 2 9 
			 Edmunds Hill — 2 9 13 — 
			 Elmley — 7 — 9 — 
			 Erlestoke — 8 26 6 7 
			 Everthorpe — — 1 — — 
			 Exeter 4 7 27 9 2 
			 Featherstone 5 1 3 — 3 
			 Feltham 32 49 44 39 17 
			 Ford — 3 3 3 9 
			 Foston Hall 6 6 — 5 6 
			 Frankland 5 21 26 3 4 
			 Full Sutton 2 2 12 14 12 
			 Garth — 3 6 5 11 
			 Gartree — 2 — 4 27 
			 Glen Parva 14 20 — 34 5 
			 Gloucester 5 15 13 14 1 
			 Grendon 6 12 19 12 3 
			 Guys Marsh 4 2 14 4 4 
			 Haslar — — 3 1 — 
			 Haverigg — 6 — 9 6 
			 Hewell Grange — — 3 1 1 
			 High Down — 21 44 21 10 
			 Highpoint — — — 14 — 
			 Hindley 2 38 40 18 17 
			 Hollesley Bay — 8 3 1 2 
			 Holloway 17 45 30 10 40 
			 Holme House 5 4 — 5 3 
			 Hull — 1 — 10 8 
			 Huntercombe 16 3 9 14 22 
			 Kingston — 2 1 1 5 
			 Kirkham 1 — — 1 2 
			 Kirklevington Grange 1 — — 1 — 
			 Lancaster — 1 9 4 1 
			 Lancaster Farms — 7 40 20 11 
			 Latchmere House — — 3 — 5 
			 Leeds — — 5 1 3 
			 Leicester — 2 — 8 8 
			 Lewes 1 12 5 8 5 
			 Leyhill 2 5 6 3 3 
			 Lincoln — — 11 — — 
			 Lindholme — — 7 5 — 
			 Littlehey 10 3 9 8 2 
			 Liverpool — — 13 — 2 
			 Long Lartin — 4 21 18 16 
			 Low Newton 2 — 2 — 4 
			 Maidstone 4 6 — — 3 
			 Manchester 5 1 — 40 41 
			 Moorland — 2 — — — 
			 Morton Hall 12 7 4 — 2 
			 New Hall 12 3 8 15 6 
			 North Sea Camp 5 5 4 1 2 
			 Northallerton — — — — 1 
			 Norwich 5 14 2 8 4 
			 Nottingham 13 18 14 — 3 
			 Onley 8 9 25 4 9 
			 Parkhurst 9 15 6 6 11 
			 Pentonville 10 32 11 17 — 
			 Portland 5 8 12 10 9 
			 Preston — — 3 10 1 
			 Ranby 3 4 — 11 6 
			 Reading 3 3 4 5 — 
			 Risley — 15 11 8 17 
			 Rochester — 7 11 13 — 
			 Send 2 10 10 7 1 
			 Shepton Mallet — 1 — 2 1 
			 Shrewsbury 1 — — 6 8 
			 Stafford — 2 — — — 
			 Standford Hill 5 9 2 3 — 
			 Stocken 5 — 5 2 3 
			 Stoke Heath 11 4 — 3 15 
			 Styal — 3 6 7 7 
			 Sudbury — — 1 — — 
			 Swaleside 13 18 5 — — 
			 Swansea — — — 1 2 
			 Swinfen Hall — — — — 11 
			 The Mount 6 14 12 16 16 
			 The Verne 3 — — 1 — 
			 Thorn Cross 3 4 6 2 3 
			 Usk/Prescoed — 2 2 3 — 
			 Wakefield — 4 — 8 3 
			 Wandsworth 2 — 7 13 25 
			 Warren Hill — — 4 13 9 
			 Wayland 6 3 2 6 8 
			 Wealstun 2 6 — — — 
			 Weare — — — 4 6 
			 Wellingborough 8 — 5 5 3 
			 Werrington 2 2 6 10 1 
			 Wetherby 3 9 2 6 11 
			 Whatton 1 — — 4 — 
			 Whitemoor 3 22 38 39 17 
			 Winchester — — — — 4 
			 Woodhill — 70 14 30 13 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 2 20 26 17 — 
			 Wymott — 3 10 — 14 
			   
			 Equivalent full-time equivalent staff  
			 Contribution of contract supplementary (49)— (49)— (49)— 313 413 
			 Aggregate shortfall including contract supplementary hours 169 804 804 440 264 
			 As percentage of operational staffing requirement 0.7 3.4 3.4 1.8 1.1 
		
	
	(49) Contribution of contract supplementary hours unknown.

Public Order

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders under the age of 25 have been placed under intensive supervision in (a) Swindon and (b) England in each of the last five years.

Fiona Mactaggart: Intensive Supervision schemes have only been used for offenders aged 20 and under; the Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme for those aged under 18, and the Intensive Control and Change Programme as a pilot for those aged 18 to 20. Numbers placed under these schemes are shown in the tables. The Intensive Control and Change Programme was not piloted in Swindon.
	
		Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme:10 to 17year olds
		
			  Swindon and Wiltshire England 
		
		
			 July 2001 to March 2002 0 789 
			 April 2002 to March 2003 0 2,809 
			 April 2003 to March 2004 0 4,389 
			 April 2004 to March 2005 19 4,668 
			 April 2005 to December 2005 15 3,932 
			 Total 34 16,587 
		
	
	
		Intensive Control and Change Programme:18 to 20 year olds
		
			  Swindon and Wiltshire England 
		
		
			 July 2001 to March 2002 0 789 
			 April 2002 to March 2003 0 2,809 
			 April 2003 to March 2004 489 4,878 
			 April 2004 to March 2005 753 5,440 
			 April 2005 to December 2005 153 4,100 
			 Total 1,395 18,016

Remand Prisoners

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many detainees were being held on remand in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Fiona Mactaggart: Information on prisoners held on remand in January 2005 to January 2006 is given in the following table.
	
		Population of remand prisoners in prison establishments in England and Wales at the end of each month
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 January 2005 12,415 
			 February 2005 12,532 
			 March 2005 12,347 
			 April 2005 12,235 
			 May 2005 12,823 
			 June 2005 12,864 
			 July 2005 12,953 
			 August 2005 13,416 
			 September 2005 13,523 
			 October 2005 13,839 
			 November 2005 13,275 
			 December 2005 12,535 
			 January 2006 13,529

Serious Organised Crime Agency

Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what priorities he has set for the work of the new Serious Organised Crime Agency.

Paul Goggins: The Home Secretary set out the Government's priorities for the Serious Organised Crime Agency in a letter on 9 June 2005 to the Chairman-designate, a copy of which was laid before the House. The letter expresses the Government's belief that all serious organised crime should be tackled on the basis of an intelligence-led approach which prioritises those criminal networks and markets doing the most harm. It also explains that on the basis of work done so far to analyse harm, we continue to see Class A drugs and organised immigration crime, in that order, as the top strategic priorities. The Serious Organised Crime Agency will be expected to focus the bulk of its effort in these two areas but will also be expected to devote resources to the other threats detailed in the UK Threat Assessment.

Sex Offences (Sentencing)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the Sentencing Guidelines Council's recommendations regarding the shortening of future sentences for rape and other sex offences.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Sentencing Guidelines Council has not yet published its draft guideline on the offences in the Sexual Offences Act 2003. When it is published, the Government will have the opportunity to respond.

Sex Offences (Sentencing)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans his Department has for shortening future sentences for rape and other sex offences.

Paul Goggins: The Home Office has no plans to shorten the sentences available to the courts for those found guilty of rape and other sexual offences.

Sex Offender Treatment Programmes

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of sex offender treatment programmes; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: Three accredited sex offender treatment programmes were introduced in the National Probation Service in 2002–03 and are currently subject to an evaluation study. The study is based on psychometric information which measures statistically significant change in factors most closely linked to offending. Results are due later this year. However, it is too early for reconviction studies to be completed.
	The Prison Service offers six accredited programmes for sex offenders, which are provided in different combinations according to the risk and need of the individual offender. The Core Programme, for medium risk offenders, was evaluated in 2003 and the findings indicated that the programme significantly reduced sexual and violent recidivism rates. This was particularly true with medium risk offenders but the programme did not impact on recidivism for high risk offenders (HORF 205). Psychometric evaluations have been completed on most other Sex Offender Treatment Programmes and these routinely show that participants improve in terms of their attitudes and other psychological variables that are known to predict recidivism. The Prison Service is currently designing further outcome studies to evaluate the success of its treatment programmes.

Sex Offender Treatment Programmes

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the role of attachment theory in the (a) construction and (b) delivery of sex offender treatment programmes; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: The three core sex offender treatment programmes provided by the national probation service, all cover attachment theory although in different ways. One programme is explicit in teaching attachment theory to group members, while the other two take a more implicit approach and address the offender's attachment styles based upon a structured assessment of the offender's risk and need.
	An important treatment target for all three programmes is to address how sex offenders relate to others and how this may need to change in future to reduce risk. This will include specific work throughout each of the three programmes on life skills including the social and emotional management of relationships, together with self management skills.
	In the Prison Service, treatment programmes for sex offenders, attachment theory is the basis for modules of the Rolling Sex Offender Treatment Programme (for low risk offenders) and the Extended Sex Offender Treatment Programme (for high risk offenders). In both programmes, participants are taught the basics of attachment theory, helped to identify their individual attachment styles, and develop and practice strategies for moving towards a more secure attachment style. Additionally, all the Prison Service Sex Offender Treatment Programmes involve group work, which, as with the probation service, carries the benefit of offering an opportunity for group members to learn how to interact positively with one another.

Werrington Young Offenders Institution

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on educational and vocational provision at Werrington young offenders institution.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Youth Justice Board (YJB) has set a target, for the juvenile secure estate, a national average of 25 hours a week for the provision of education, training and personal development, rising to 30 hours when resources and funding allow. Werrington young offender institution is currently exceeding the YJB's targets and has achieved an average of 26 hours during the period April 2005 to February 2006.
	Werrington has also exceeded the Prison Service's key performance target of 30 hours a week of purposeful activities (which include education, work and resettlement) for the period April 2005 to February 2006, having achieved an average of 32 hours. For the same period, classroom attendance at Werrington was nearly 94 per cent. against the national target of 90 per cent. In addition to education and training, Werrington provides three hours a week of other activities such as information technology, sports, etc.

Whitley Structure

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which parts of his Department are not covered by a Whitley structure for collective bargaining purposes.

Tony McNulty: Within the main Home Office including the immigration and nationality directorate collective bargaining with three out of four recognised unions is covered by a Whitley structure. The FDA, Prospect and the Public and Commercial Services Union are represented on the Departmental Whitley Council. The Immigration Service Union, the fourth recognised union is not represented on the Departmental Whitley Council. Separate collective bargaining and consultative procedures exist.
	In the Prison Service separate collective bargaining and consultative arrangements are in place in respect of the Prison Governors Association. As far as collective bargaining on pay is concerned, for the majority of members of the Prison Officers Association and the Prison Governors Association pay is not determined through collective bargaining, but through recommendations of the Pay Review Body to which all parties are able to provide both written and oral evidence.
	A number of Home Office sponsored non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) such as Centrex, the body responsible for police training, the Police and Information Technology Organisation and the Youth Justice Board have retained Whitley structures. Other NDPBs have put in place separate collective bargaining and consultative arrangements. For example the collective bargaining framework of the Commission for Racial Equality is set out in their Joint Negotiating Committee Constitution. Bodies such as the Criminal Cases Review Commission and the Independent Police Complaints Commission formally recognise the Public and Commercial Services Union for collective bargaining purposes.
	The Community Development Foundation (CDF) has a procedural agreement with Amicus who have sole collective bargaining rights for CDF staff. The Security Industry Authority does not recognise any union for the purpose of collective bargaining. The SIA has established a staff forum where staff are consulted about a range of staff related issues.

World Heritage Sites

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which minister in his Department has responsibility for issues relating to world heritage sites.

Andy Burnham: Lead responsibility for policy on World Heritage Sites rests with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport works closely with relevant Government Departments on all issues affecting World Heritage Sites.
	Within the Home Office I have responsibility for issues concerning World Heritage sites which fall within this Departments policy remit.

Youth Justice

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the merits of different approaches to youth justice applied by different local authorities; what mechanisms (a) are used and (b) are being developed (i) to spread best practice in youth justice and (ii) secure (A) optimal outcomes and (B) economic efficiency; what account is taken of economics in determining the impact on recidivism; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Youth Justice Board developed National Standards for Youth Justice (2004) for both community and secure settings. It has also developed a full set of Key Elements of Effective Practice (KEEPs) which articulate, on the basis of research, key features of effective practice against which YOTs and Local Authority Secure Children's Homes (LASCHs) are required to assess performance, which is then subject to validation by the YJB. The YJB has recently developed a directory of emerging practice which encourages YOTs and secure establishments to submit examples of promising practice with a view to being placed on the YJB website for wider dissemination.
	The YJB plans to revise National Standards for Youth Justice, KEEPs and practice guidance in line with recent research and an approach to the supervision of young people which provides the most intensive interventions to those most at risk of offending. The YJB is planning research on the relative value for money of the different elements of the secure estate made up of Young Offender Institutions (YOls), LASCHs and Secure Training Centres (STCs). The first step of this will be an initial feasibility study with the full study commencing during the latter part of 2006. The YJB, in negotiating contracts with secure providers, regularly requests that efficiency savings be made on bed prices and also seeks to control price increases.
	The Government's approach to reducing re-offending is set out in the 'Five Year Strategy for Protecting the Public and Reduce Re-offending' which was published in February 2006 (CM6717). Copies are available in the House Library.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Angola

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the number of small arms in circulation in Angola; and what assessment he has made of their impact on (a) socio-political recovery in the country, (b) planning for elections, (c) economic recovery and (d) security of the population; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The civil war in Angola ended in 2002. Despite the presence of many small arms among the population, there has not been a renewal of hostilities. Nevertheless, we judge that these small arms remain a risk to Angola's political and economic recovery and could jeopardise Angola's election timetable. We are therefore working with the Angolan national police and have funded the Halo Trust to carry out a pilot project on how civil disarmament should be approached in Angola.

Argentine-Falkland Islands Relations

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Argentine-Falkland Islands relations.

Douglas Alexander: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 9 February 2006, Official Report, column 1450W.

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the contingent liabilities are in respect of Ascension Island; and who bears these risks.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 15 March 2006
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my noble Friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, in another place on 6 March 2006, Official Report, House of Lords, columns 527–29.
	My noble Friend Lord Triesman wrote to Ascension Island Councillors on 19 January explaining that there would be no further development of right of abode and the right to purchase property on Ascension Island. His letter set out the need to balance the aspirations of those living and working on Ascension Island against the risks to the UK in terms of contingent liabilities and security and developmental costs.
	Contingent liabilities in respect of Ascension Island cover the potential costs to the Government in the absence of employer organisation, including with regard to housing, utilities, infrastructure, social, education and medical services.

Brazil

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had with the President of Brazil during his recent visit regarding (a) gun control, (b) gun-related violence in Brazil, (c) the arms trade and (d) the potential for the UN Arms Trade Treaty.

Douglas Alexander: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary did not discuss these issues with the President of Brazil during his recent visit to the UK. However, during the visit my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and President Lula did agree a Joint Statement in which they reasserted their belief in the shared values of democracy and the rule of law" and their recognition of the link between development and peace, security, human rights and social justice".
	With these shared values in mind, we have ongoing discussions with Brazil on gun control, gun-related violence and the arms trade. We have discussed the International Arms Trade Treaty with Brazil on several occasions and expressed our support for the start of a formal UN process leading to a treaty on the trade in all conventional arms. Brazil participated in the meeting of experts on such a treaty hosted by the Government in May 2005.

Brazil (Child Labour)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of reports that child labour is being used in Brazilian mines that supply ICI.

Douglas Alexander: We are concerned about a recent newspaper article alleging that child labour is being used in Brazilian mines that supply ICI. Child labour is a continuing human rights concern in Brazil, which the Government takes extremely seriously. We raise human rights issues, including the need to tackle child labour, with the Brazilian Government, bilaterally and with our European partners. In addition we fund a number of projects in the human rights field in Brazil. These include working with local partners to combat torture, improve the police and penal systems and address the use of small arms in the slum areas of Rio de Janeiro. We also support community work in Rio de Janeiro aimed at encouraging young people to find alternatives to involvement in violent and organised crime. Our work enjoys the full support of the Brazilian Government.

Correspondence

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the Minister of State will reply to Mr. Peter Bashford's letter of 20 July 2005.

Kim Howells: My officials replied to Mr. Bashford's letter on 25 August 2005. A copy of the reply will be sent to the hon. Member.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the initiatives implemented by the Government of Uganda since 2001 to stabilise the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Successive reports by the UN Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) arms embargo have highlighted poor co-operation by the Ugandan Government. There have also been continuing accusations of Ugandan interference in eastern DRC.
	However, Uganda has participated actively in the Tripartite Plus Commission, which brings together Uganda, Rwanda, DRC and Burundi with the aim of improving dynamics on the ground, and finding solutions to issues affecting the region.
	Ugandan and DRC troops, with the help of the MONUC, the UN force in DRC, have also shared information to co-ordinate operations against the Lord's Resistance Army in northern DRC.
	We welcome these initiatives, and continue to impress on Uganda the need to play a constructive role in the DRC peace process, and to respect the DRC's territorial integrity.

Departmental Accounts

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact of the failure of certain overseas posts to submit their closure returns by 31 January 2006 on the preparation of his Department's accounts; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: As part of the preparation for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's faster closing of the 2005–06 accounts, certain returns were required as at 31 January 2006. Action plans have been implemented to ensure that any Posts that failed to achieve this requirement for 31 January 2006 will be able to make the required returns for 31 March 2006. This will ensure there is no impact on the preparation of the accounts.

Departmental Accounts

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which overseas posts had not sent their closure returns to the Department by the deadline of 31 January 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: As part of the preparation for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's faster closing of the 2005–06 accounts, those posts operating on Prism were required to make certain returns as at 31 January 2006. Of those posts required to make the return, only three did not manage to achieve this. These were Cape Town, Rome and Damascus. Action plans have been put in place to ensure these posts meet the requirements by 31 March 2006.

Egypt

David Lepper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made an assessment of the impact on members of minority faith groups in Egypt of the requirement under the Egyptian government's identity card system to register only as Muslim, Christian or Jewish.

Kim Howells: One of the impacts of the new Egyptian identity card system is that citizens who are neither Muslim, Christian nor Jewish will not be entitled to an identity card and may therefore suffer from a lack of access to public services.
	We do not believe this is in keeping with the Egyptian constitution which states that all Egyptian citizens should be treated equally, regardless of religion. The UK, along with Australia, USA, Canada and Ireland, demarched the Egyptian Government in December 2004 on this issue and as part of an EU Troika demarche in December 2005.

Eritrea/Ethiopia

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made (a) bilaterally and (b) multilaterally to the (i) African Union and (ii) Ethiopian Government on the increasing tension between Eritrea and Ethiopia.

Ian Pearson: We have consistently urged both governments to re-engage with the Boundary Commission, demarcate the border and resolve other issues. We actively seek normal relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea. We welcomed Ethiopia's Five Point Peace Plan in 2004. We condemned Eritrea's restrictions on the operations of the UN Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea in September 2005 and supported UN Security Council Resolution 1640. We also held discussions in London in December 2005 with representatives of the US and other interested parties.
	My noble Friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Africa, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, urged the Government of Ethiopia to respond positively to the US initiative to restart the demarcation process when he visited Addis Ababa in December 2005. He reiterated this message to the incoming Ethiopian ambassador on 14 March.
	We welcomed the meeting of the Witnesses to the Algiers Agreement in New York in February 2006 and the meeting of the Boundary Commission in London in March and stand ready to support further meetings.
	Our embassy in Addis Ababa regularly discusses a range of African conflict issues with the African Union (AU) and urges the AU to play a role in their resolution.

Gaza Strip (Rocket Attacks)

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effects on the Middle East peace process of rocket attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip.

Kim Howells: All violence in Israel and the Occupied Territories acts as an obstacle to peace. Israel is entitled to defend itself from such attacks, but action taken should be in accordance with international law.

Guantanamo Bay

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the legality of interrogation techniques used at Guantanamo Bay detention centre.

Jack Straw: holding answer 14 March 2006
	We are not in a position to make a full independent assessment of the interrogation techniques used at Guantanamo Bay. Serious concerns have been expressed about them in several quarters, for example in a report issued by five holders of mandates of special procedures of the UN Commission on Human Rights last month. But we note that on 5 December the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice confirmed that it is US policy to comply with the UN Convention Against Torture. The US Detainee Treatment Act, enacted on 30 December 2005, provides that no individual in the custody or under the physical control of the US Government, regardless of nationality or physical location, shall be subject to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. On signing the Act, President Bush said it made a matter of statute what was already US Government policy. Responding to the UN report last month, the US Government
	profoundly objects to the Report both in terms of process and of substance and underscores that the Report's factual and legal assertions are inaccurate and flawed".
	We continue to discuss counter terrorism and human rights issues, including the handling of detainees, with the US Government on a regular basis.

Guatemala/Honduras

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of (a) Guatemala and (b) Honduras about the violent deaths of children and young people.

Douglas Alexander: Our embassy in Guatemala City has been active in raising awareness of childrens' rights issues with the Guatemalan and Honduran authorities both bilaterally and together with our EU partners. We press for all instances of violent deaths to be investigated thoroughly. The embassy has also worked closely with organisations dealing with childrens' rights in both countries, including the funding of a Consortium for Street Children project on police training on child protection in Guatemala and Save the Children/Casa Alianza projects aimed at improving the juvenile justice system in Honduras.

Hamas

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government is taking to encourage Hamas to renounce violence and recognise Israel.

Kim Howells: In its statement on 30 January, the Quartet (EU, UN, US and Russia) agreed that all members of a future Palestinian government must be committed to non-violence, recognition of Israel and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the Roadmap. We have made this clear and support this approach.

Holy See (British Embassy)

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the British ambassador to the Holy See about the closure of the offices of the British embassy in the Holy See; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave him on 16 March 2006, Official Report, columns 2461–62W. There has been no closure of the office of the British embassy to the Holy See. However, the office did move in July 2005 from its previous location on the Via Condotti to a site which also houses the office of the British embassy to Italy. The decision to move the offices was taken in response to security concerns about the exposed Via Condotti site.
	The current ambassador to the Holy See took up his post after the decision to move the office had been taken and the move completed. The decision was taken after full consultation with all interested parties.

Human Rights

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his counterpart in each of the 10 new EU countries with regards to protecting (a) women's rights, (b) gay rights and (c) human rights in general.

Douglas Alexander: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary regularly meets his colleagues from the 10 countries that joined the EU in May 2004, including every month at the EU's General Affairs and External Relations Council. In this forum, discussions on human rights and non-discrimination are primarily in the context of the Common Foreign and Security Policy. The Government are committed to the promotion and respect of all human rights principles, within the EU and beyond.

India

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of India regarding (a) the position of women within society, (b) gender equality and (c) the treatment of victims of rape and sexual violence.

Kim Howells: The most recent discussions were held in October 2005, when our Deputy High Commissioner in New Delhi called on Dr. Girija Vyas, Chair of the National Commission for Women. Discussions covered topics such as the position of women within society and gender equality.
	Gender equality is also a key focus for the current work of the Department for International Development in India. This issue needs to be addressed to ensure the internationally agreed Millennium Development Goals are achieved.

Indonesia

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made representations to the government of Indonesia in regard to the impending execution and the manner of the trial of Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus Da Silva and Marinus Riwu; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: On 14 November 2005, as EU presidency, we expressed to the Government of Indonesia the European Union's regret at the decision to carry out the executions, and urged the Indonesian Government to refrain from carrying out the executions, and to consider the abolition of the death penalty.
	The current EU presidency, Austria, followed this up with the Government of Indonesia in January, in separate meetings with the Minister of Law and Human Rights and the Attorney-General, and in a note to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Indonesia

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia; what issues were discussed; and what representations he has made to him about the treatment of religious minorities in Indonesia.

Ian Pearson: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary last met President Yudhoyono in January 2005. They discussed post-tsunami reconstruction and the Middle East peace process.
	We regularly raise the treatment of religious minorities with the Indonesian Government as part of our dialogue with them on human rights. We co-chaired with the Indonesian Government an international conference in Bali in July 2005 to promote inter-faith understanding and harmony and we have supported a number of projects in conflict areas that promote human rights and reconciliation.

Indonesia

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Indonesia has ratified the United Nations International Covenants on (a) Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and (b) Civil and Political Rights.

Ian Pearson: The Indonesian Parliament ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on 30 September 2005.

Interfaith Dialogue Conference (Indonesia)

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Ministers from his Department attending the Interfaith Dialogue Conference in Indonesia in July 2005 raised concerns about the trial and sentencing to death of Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus Da Silva and Marinus Riwu; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: We co-chaired with the Indonesian government an international conference in Bali in July 2005 to promote inter-faith understanding and harmony. We have also supported a number of projects in conflict areas that promote human rights and reconciliation. We did not specifically raise the case of Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus Da Silva and Marinus Riwu at the conference, but we raised the case on 14 November as EU presidency.

Iran

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what military equipment has been provided by the UK to Iran to assist in counter-narcotics operations in the last three years.

Jack Straw: All applications to export military equipment to Iran are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria and other policies, taking into account the prevailing circumstances at the time.
	We will not issue an export licence if approval would be inconsistent with national embargoes observed by the UK. The then Foreign Secretary's (Lord Hurd) and the then Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister's (Tony Lloyd) statements of 1 March 1993 and 28 September 1998 respectively, set out our approach in respect of Iran. We will not issue licences for the export to Iran of goods or technology on the Military or Nuclear List, except for goods essential for the safety of civil aircraft and air traffic control systems and certain radioactive substances for medical use. No licences will be approved for any equipment where there is knowledge or reason to suspect that it will go to a military end-user or be used for military purposes. On very rare occasions and with parliamentary agreement, exceptions are made where denying an export or gift would be against the spirit of the embargo.
	In 2005, we agreed to license a gift of 50 sets of body armour to the Iranian Anti-Narcotics Police who work with HM Revenue and Customs officers to fight the trafficking of heroin and opiates. In 2003, we agreed to license the export of 250 sets of night vision goggles for use against heroin smugglers; the export was paid for by the United Nations Drugs Control Programme. On each occasion, notice of our intention to license these exports was placed before Parliament and no objections were raised. Details were also recorded in written ministerial statements of 15 March 2005, Official Report, columns 13–14WS, and 19 May 2003, Official Report, column 30WS.
	We assess that around 60 per cent. of all heroin entering the UK transits Iran. Iran is actively involved in the fight against drug trafficking and seizes far more opiates than any other country in the world. We have regular constructive co-operation with Iran on counter-narcotics.

Iran

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential for the deuterium-labelled compounds supplied by the UK to Iran as exempted medical supplies to be diverted to purposes connected with a nuclear weapons programme.

Jack Straw: There have been no applications for licences to export deuterium labelled compounds for medical use to Iran from the United Kingdom.
	While it would be technically possible to extract deuterium from such compounds in quantities which could be of use in a nuclear weapons research programme, we assess that Iran would be very unlikely to use this route given the availability of much easier alternatives.

Iran

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recommendations the Government plan to make to the UN on possible sanctions on Iran.

Kim Howells: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Newark (Patrick Mercer) on 16 March 2006, Official Report, column 2464W.

Iraq

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received regarding the use of torture in Iraq.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, recently received a letter from Amnesty International referring to their report published on 6 March that asks the UK to take concrete steps to ensure that adequate safeguards are in place to protect detainees from torture or ill-treatment in Iraq. We fully agree that detainees should be well treated and not subject to torture. We will continue to take steps to help ensure this is the case.

Iraq

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of prisoners being held without charge or trial by the Iraqi authorities.

Kim Howells: We have not made an estimate of the number of prisoners being held without charge or trial by the Iraqi authorities, but we raise with them regularly our concerns that anyone detained should be brought to justice as soon as possible.

Israel (War Crimes)

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assurances were given by (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department to Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni during her visit last week in relation to the issuing of arrest warrants against (i) Brigadier-General Aviv Kochavi and (ii) any Israeli citizen accused of war crimes.

Kim Howells: I met with Tzipi Livni, Israel's Foreign Minister, on 2 March. I explained that the Government are currently considering a range of issues relating to the issuing of arrest warrants in international cases, but has not yet concluded what changes, if any, are required to current legislation. Any proposals for amending the current legislation would be a matter for Parliament.

Israel-Palestinian Peace Process

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the likely effects on regional stability of Hamas's opposition to the Israel-Palestinian peace process.

Kim Howells: On 30 January, the Quartet (UN, US, EU and Russia) reiterated their view that there is a fundamental contradiction between armed group and militia activities and the building of a democratic state. All members of a future Palestinian Government must be committed to non-violence, recognition of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the Roadmap. We support this approach.
	We have made no specific assessment on the effects on regional stability if Hamas choose not to accept previous agreements and obligations. However, we are monitoring developments closely.

Jericho Monitoring Mission

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what notification (a) he and (b) his representatives in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv gave to (i) the Palestinian Authority and (ii) the Israeli Government prior to the decision to withdraw the US-UK Jericho Monitoring Mission; when such notification was given; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: We issued a joint US/UK letter to President Abbas on 8 March 2006, which noted that if the Palestinian Authority (PA) did not come into full compliance with the Ramallah Agreement and made substantive improvements to the security of the monitors or came to a new agreement with the Government of Israel, we would have to withdraw our monitors with immediate effect. In accordance with our obligations under the Ramallah Agreement, our ambassador in Tel Aviv informed the Israeli Authorities that we were delivering a letter in these terms on 8 March. After 8 March, the Consul General in Jerusalem called the President's office on four separate occasions to allow an opportunity for a response.
	On 15 December 2005, our Deputy Head of Mission in Jerusalem informed the President's Office that we were concerned about security and that, if we felt that the PA could not provide adequate security, we would withdraw them. We also raised our concerns with them on at least five separate occasions after this point. On 17 and 22 February our ambassador in Tel Aviv informed the Israeli authorities that we might have to withdraw from the mission due to security concerns. On 10 March, our ambassador in Tel Aviv contacted the Israeli Authorities to urge that Israel exercise caution if the monitors had to withdraw.

Jericho Monitoring Mission

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had with his Israeli counterparts prior to the decision to withdraw the US-UK Jericho Monitoring Mission regarding the future of the six prisoners involved in the Ramallah Agreement; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: None.
	In accordance with our obligations under the Ramallah Agreement, our ambassador in Tel Aviv informed the Israeli Government on 8 March of the contents of the letter to President Abbas which noted that unless the Palestinian Authority (PA) met their obligations we would have to terminate our involvement with the mission.
	On 17 and 22 February, our ambassador in Tel Aviv informed the Israeli authorities that we might have to withdraw from the mission due to security concerns. This information had also been communicated to the PA initially on 15 December. On 10 March, our ambassador in Tel Aviv contacted the Israeli Authorities to urge that Israel exercise restraint if the monitors had to withdraw. I urged the same when I spoke to Tzipi Livni, the Israeli Foreign Minister, on 14 March, after the withdrawal had taken effect.

Jericho Monitoring Mission

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions the UK Consul General made representations to the Palestinian Authority regarding its failure to comply with core provisions of the Jericho Monitoring Mission arrangements since the mission was established; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: There have been frequent representations made by the UK and the US since the mission was established. We have records as early as August 2002 which noted that the Palestinian Authority (PA) were failing to meet their obligations on cell searches, visitor regimes and mobile phones. The monitors have been unable to confirm the continuous seclusion of Shobaki and Ahmed Sa'adat since 8 November 2002. Since December 2005, when the security risk to our monitors increased, UK officials made at least six separate representations to the PA.
	After we delivered the letter on 8 March to the President's office, our Consul General in Jerusalem raised this issue a further four times with the President's office to allow for a response.

Jericho Monitoring Mission

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment was made by the British Consul General in Jerusalem of the consequences of the withdrawal of the US-UK Jericho Monitoring Mission; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: We assessed there was a risk that Israel might attempt to secure the six detainees potentially resulting in Palestinian casualties and a broader Palestinian reaction. On 10 March, our ambassador in Tel Aviv urged Israel to exercise restraint if the monitors had to withdraw. We also gave the Palestinian Authority every opportunity to undertake the measures necessary to avoid us having to take this action. However, ultimately the safety of our personnel had to take precedence.

Jericho Monitoring Mission

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs by what medium the UK monitors at Jericho prison were told to withdraw; and when the instruction was relayed.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made the decision on 8 March, that a letter should be sent to President Abbas informing him of our intention to withdraw the monitors with immediate effect unless the conditions noted in the letter were met. Our Consul General in Jerusalem called the President's office on four separate occasions after delivering the letter to allow an opportunity for a response. As none was forthcoming, the team of monitors due to deploy to the jail on 13–14 March were informed on 13 March to withdraw the following day. The monitors withdrew at a time judged to provide the greatest security to our monitors.

Jericho Monitoring Mission

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with (a) members and (b) representatives of the (i) Government of Israel, (ii) Palestinian Authority, (iii) United States Administration, (iv) EU presidency and (v) UN concerning the incursion into Jericho prison by the Israeli defence forces; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has spoken with Israeli Foreign Minister Livni, President Abbas and Saeb Erekat, Head of Negotiations and Affairs Department of the Palestinian Authority, the US Secretary of State and the Austrian Foreign Minister regarding the events in Jericho on 15 March. He had no discussions with the UN.

Jericho Monitoring Mission

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the nature and mandate was of those UK citizens present in Jericho Prison at the time of the incursion by the Israeli Defence forces; what discussions his Department has had with these individuals since the incursion; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Under the terms of the 2002 Ramallah Agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA), UK and US personnel monitored the seclusion of six Palestinian detainees. The PA remained responsible, for their detention. There were no UK or US personnel present at the time of the Israeli incursion. My Department has been in contact with the monitors since they left to ensure they arrived back safely in the UK.

Jericho Monitoring Mission

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the damage caused to the America-Mideast Educational and Training Services premises in Gaza following their storming by Palestinian militants; what assessment his Department has made of (a) the likelihood of an increase in such activity and (b) the vulnerability of (i) EU and (ii) UK organisations in the area since the incursion by the Israeli defence forces into the Jericho jail; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We have made no specific assessment of the damage to the premises referred to. We continue to remain concerned by the deteriorating security situation in the occupied territories. On 14 March, we changed our travel advice to warn against all travel to the occupied territories. We have also urged the Palestinian Authority to take steps to improve security for all foreign nationals and organisations. We remain in close contact with EU and UK organisations and citizens in Gaza and the west bank on security issues.

Jericho Monitoring Mission

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UK had an obligation to inform the European Union of the decision to withdraw its monitoring presence from the jail in Jericho; and whether the UK informed the EU in advance of the decision.

Kim Howells: The EU was not party to the Ramallah Agreement and as such there was not an obligation to inform partners. It was imperative that information about the actual date of withdrawal was kept to a limited few to ensure the safety of our unarmed personnel. On 14 March, we briefed EU partners on the reasons for our withdrawal at the Political Security Committee and issued a statement to all EU partners explaining that we had to withdraw our monitors to ensure their safety.

Jericho Monitoring Mission

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was his most recent assessment of the security of the UK monitors at Jericho Prison in relation to (a) the prisoners, (b) the Palestinian prison and security forces, (c) other Palestinian groups, (d) Israeli forces and (e) others; and whether these assessments were different from those made 12 months previously.

Kim Howells: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to her on 17 March 2006, Official Report, column 2532W. We assessed that the risk of our monitors being kidnapped had increased in recent months. In December 2005, we learned of plans by militant groups to kidnap the monitors. This was consistent with the sharp rise we had seen in kidnaps elsewhere in the Occupied Territories, which have included British nationals. In late 2005, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) kidnapped two teachers, demanding the release of Ahmed Sa'adat, one of the detainees. It was also increasingly clear that the Palestinian Authority (PA) were unwilling to take any action against those involved.
	We requested that the monitors and six detainees were moved to another area of the prison to provide additional security for our monitors. I refer my hon. Friend to a copy of the letter we have placed in the Library of the House. However, this was not implemented. With the Palestinian Legislative election in January the risks to UK and US monitors increased further. During the election campaigns, the prisoners repeatedly, and inaccurately, accused the UK and US of illegally detaining them. After Ahmed Sa'adat was elected, PFLP and Hamas called for the release of political prisoners. There was a heightened risk of the PA unilaterally releasing the prisoners. The Government of Israel had made public commitments not to allow the prisoners to go free and we were concerned the monitors could be caught up in an arrest operation.
	This information, plus the knowledge that the current location of our monitors was unsafe, all contributed to the decision to withdraw. The failure of the PA to address our concerns despite repeated attempts left us in an untenable position. Ultimately the safety of our personnel had to take priority.

Jericho Monitoring Mission

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to satisfy himself that there was no advance discussion between the US and Israeli administrations on the withdrawal of the (a) US monitors and (b) UK monitors from Jericho Prison.

Kim Howells: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Northfield (Richard Burden) today (UIN 59761).

Jericho Monitoring Mission

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his written statement of 14 March 2006, Official Report, columns 95–96WS, on the Jericho Monitoring Mission, at what time the (a) US and (b) UK monitors left the precincts of Jericho Prison on 14 March.

Kim Howells: The monitors informed the Deputy Head of Mission of the Consulate General in Jerusalem that they had withdrawn from the mission at 07:30 local time on 14 March 2006.

Jericho Monitoring Mission

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he received assurances from the US Administration that no notification of the likely timetable or method of withdrawal of UK and US monitors from Jericho Prison would be given to the government of Israel or any of its agencies.

Kim Howells: The joint decision between the UK and US to remove the monitors was focused on their safety. It was considered too dangerous by the US and UK to inform either Israel or the Palestinian Authority of the planned date of withdrawal.

Jericho Monitoring Mission

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the decision was taken to withdraw British monitors from the prison in Jericho; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made the decision on 8 March that a letter should be sent to President Abbas informing him of our intention to withdraw the monitors with immediate effect unless the conditions noted in the letter were met. Our consul general in Jerusalem called the President's office on four separate occasions after delivering the letter to allow an opportunity for a response. As none was forthcoming, the monitors withdrew at a time judged to provide the greatest security to our monitors.

Jericho Monitoring Mission

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the Government informed (a) the Palestine National Authority and (b) the Israeli Government that the UK would be withdrawing British monitors from the prison in Jericho; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The UK and US consul generals issued a joint letter to President Abbas on 8 March 2006, which noted that if the Palestinian Authority (PA) did not come into full compliance with the Ramallah Agreement and make substantive improvements to the security of the monitors or come to a new agreement with the Government of Israel, we would have to withdraw our monitors with immediate effect. In accordance with our obligations under the Ramallah Agreement, our ambassador in Tel Aviv informed the Israeli Authorities that we were delivering a letter in these terms on 8 March. After the letter was delivered, our consul general in Jerusalem called the President's office on four separate occasions to allow an opportunity for a response.
	On 15 December our Deputy Head of Mission in Jerusalem informed the President's office, that we were concerned about security and that if we felt that the PA could not provide adequate security, we would withdraw them. We also raised our concerns with them on at least five separate occasions after this point. On 17 and 22 February, our ambassador in Tel Aviv informed the Israeli authorities that we might have to withdraw from the mission due to security concerns. On 10 March our ambassador in Tel Aviv contacted the Israeli Authorities to urge that Israel exercise caution if the monitors had to withdraw.
	It was considered too dangerous to inform either Israel or the PA of the actual date of withdrawal.

Jericho Monitoring Mission

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the likely impact on British interests in the Arab and Muslim world of the decision to withdraw British monitors from the prison in Jericho; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We have not yet made such an assessment. Our first priority was to safeguard the lives and welfare of our monitors at the prison in Jericho. We remain fully committed to supporting the Palestinian people, and pursuing an active role in the region.

Jericho Monitoring Mission

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the decision to withdraw British monitors from the prison in Jericho; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The only discussion my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary had with his US counterpart about the British monitors was on 14 March.

Jericho Monitoring Mission

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library the letters from (a) consular officials and (b) Ministers to President Abbas sent prior to that of 8 March concerning perceived threats to the security of UK and United States' personnel working at Jericho Prison.

Kim Howells: The requests to the Palestinian Authority to address our security concerns were carried out verbally. In December 2005, we did request that the monitors were relocated to another area of the prison to provide additional security. On 4 January, our Deputy Head of Mission in Jerusalem wrote to the Ministry of Interior noting what work we wanted to undertake to increase the safety of our monitors. I have placed a copy of this letter in the Library of the House. No action was taken to allow this work to proceed.

Lateran Treaty

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to seek amendments to the Lateran Treaty; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 16 March 2006, Official Report, columns 2461–2462W. It would be for Italy and the Holy See, as the Contracting Parties to the Lateran Pacts, to agree any further amendments.

MI6

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what mechanism his Department has in place to identify actions taken by MI6 staff without ministerial approval where such approval is required.

Jack Straw: The Foreign Secretary's responsibility for the work of the Secret Intelligence Service is set out in the Intelligence Services Act 1994. There are well established procedures for ensuring compliance with the terms of this and other relevant legislation. It is the longstanding policy of the Government not to comment on operational intelligence matters.

Pakistan

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the Pakistani Government on the consolidated EU national arms export licensing criteria; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Officials hold regular talks with their Pakistani counterparts on a wide range of issues including defence sales, export licensing and the criteria. The last time such discussions took place was in December 2005. The Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria is applied to export licenses for Pakistan on a case-by-case basis.

Poland (Gay Rights)

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the Polish government's stance on gay rights.

Douglas Alexander: The Government are aware of the comments on homosexuality reportedly made by members of the Polish Government. This Government will continue to make the case, at home and abroad, against discrimination in all its forms.

Rafik Hariri

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken to bring the perpetrators of the murder of Rafik Hariri to justice; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Following the bomb attack on 14 February 2005, which killed 23, including Rafic Hariri, and injured over 200, the United Nations Security Council adopted Security Council resolution (UNSCR) 1595. This mandated the United Nations International Independent Investigation Commission (UNIIIC) to assist the Lebanese authorities in their investigation of this attack, including helping to identify its perpetrators, sponsors, organisers and accomplices. On 15 March, Serge Brammertz issued his first report since his appointment as head of the UNIIIC in January 2006.
	The Government remain committed to full implementation of UNSCR 1595, and calls upon all states to co-operate fully and unconditionally with the UNIIIC.

Small Firms

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what definition the Department uses of a small firm.

Jack Straw: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) defines a small and medium enterprise (SME) as a firm employing fewer than 250 full-time employees. This is in line with the definition of a SME provided by the Department of Trade and Industry's Small Business Service. The FCO does not differentiate between a small firm and a medium sized firm for procurement purposes.

St. Helena

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much Government funding is directed at promoting tourism in St. Helena in 2005–06.

Gareth Thomas: I have been asked to reply.
	As part of the St. Helena Access project, DFID has recently supported a £65,000 consultancy to update St. Helena's Tourism Strategy. The project also includes up to £3 million to support tourism promotion over the next 10 years.
	Outside of the access project, DFID is already supporting tourism marketing through annual budgetary aid to the St. Helena Government. This year, St Helena's budget includes £62,540 for the running costs of the St. Helena Tourism Office, and £250,000 for tourism marketing through the operators of the Royal Mail Ship (RMS) St. Helena, which provides the island's only regular shipping service.
	In future, funding for tourism promotion in St. Helena will come from a number of different sources, including the private sector, airlines and government.

Sudan

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Archbishop of Canterbury regarding his recent visit to Darfur.

Ian Pearson: The Archbishop of Canterbury visited Sudan from 25 February—4 March during which he visited Khartoum and Southern Sudan, including Renk, Juba and Malakal. The Archbishop met with First Vice President Salva Kiir and Vice President Taha, and held an Inter-Religious Council forum on dialogue between Islam and Christianity. The Archbishop discussed the need for full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, and for religious dialogue between Muslims and Christians. Since his return, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not had the opportunity to discuss the visit with the Archbishop. However, the Archbishop was accompanied in Sudan by our ambassador in Khartoum, who has reported on the results of the visit.

Syria

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to limit Syrian support of (a) Hezbollah and (b) Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Kim Howells: Both at ministerial and official level, we have repeatedly told Syria that it must cease its support for Hizballah and Palestinian rejectionist groups, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad. We continue to highlight the destabilising impact support for these groups has on regional security and the Middle East peace process.

Syria

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of compliance by (a) Syria and (b) Hezbollah with UNSC resolution 1559.

Kim Howells: Further to the second report by the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1559 (UNSCR 1559) on 25 October 2005, the UN Security Council agreed a presidential statement on 23 January, which noted that several provisions of UNSCR 1559 had yet to be implemented, in particular the disbanding and disarming of militias and free and fair Lebanese presidential elections.
	The Government would like to reaffirm its support for the full implementation of UNSCR 1559. While the UN has confirmed that Syria has withdrawn its troops from Lebanon, Syria has yet to establish diplomatic relations with Lebanon or to demarcate its border with Lebanon. Syria also has a role to play in stopping arms transfers to Lebanese-based militias, including Hizballah. The UK stands ready to assist the Lebanese Government to implement the outstanding provisions of UNSCR 1559.
	We await the next report of the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Implementation of UNSCR 1559, which is due on 26 April 2006.

Uganda

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Ugandan Government on the action taken against Dr. Kizza Besigye.

Ian Pearson: On 7 March our high commissioner in Kampala, along with other diplomatic colleagues, met President Museveni to discuss the elections in Uganda and the ongoing court cases involving Dr. Kizza Besigye.
	We expressed grave concern that it appeared the general court-martial (GCM) proceedings against Dr. Besigye were going ahead despite the 30 January Constitutional Court verdict that this was unconstitutional. We were assured that the GCM proceedings had been suspended pending the outcome of the High Court treason trial, which is currently ongoing.
	On 7 March, High Court Judge Katutsi dismissed the rape charges against Dr. Besigye, saying that the prosecution had failed to prove its case.

UN Human Rights Council

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the United States Administration regarding the creation of the UN Human Rights Council.

Ian Pearson: We worked closely and at many levels with US, European and other partners throughout negotiations on establishment of the new Human Rights Council, towards our shared goal of a strong, effective and credible new human rights body. We welcome the adoption by the UN General Assembly on 15 March of a resolution establishing the Human Rights Council.

UN Rapid Response

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken by his Department to improve the strategic reserves of the UN to enable a rapid response in emergency situations.

Gareth Thomas: I have been asked to reply.
	The key step in improving the strategic financial reserves of the UN has been the establishment of the new Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), consisting of a pre-existing $50 million loan facility and a substantial new grant facility. It was launched on 9 March, with contributions to the grant facility totalling $255 million from 38 donors. The UK is the single largest donor so far, contributing £40 million ($70 million). The CERF will be under the control of the UN Secretary-General, managed by the UN Emergency Relief Co-ordinator with administrative support from the Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs. It will allow UN humanitarian agencies to begin responding to a sudden crisis within a few days, rather than having to wait for donor funds to arrive, and also to respond to ongoing under-funded crises by ensuring essential humanitarian activities take place.
	DFID also provides core funding to key UN agencies which may be used to establish or strengthen strategic asset and surge capacity. For example, DFID is providing £19 million core funding this year to support the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), including support to the Plan of Action for Strengthening Emergency Response Capacity. In 2005, we provided £500,000 to the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for the establishment of the Protection Surge Capacity programme (PROCAP), which provides a roster of qualified and experienced protection officers for rapid deployment. DFID has provided nearly £25 million over the past five years to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) to improve emergency preparedness and response planning, supply and logistics, and staff training.
	DFID is currently providing a core contribution of £5 million per annum to the World Food Programme , of which half will be used to enhance the WFP's effectiveness in humanitarian preparedness and response. We contribute £2 million per annum to the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Health Action in Crisis programme to improve the WHO's performance in preparing for, responding to and recovering from health aspects of crises around the world.
	DFID holds stocks of relief items in the UK, Dubai and the USA that may be used to further enhance the United Nations emergency response. Together with existing UN global stockholdings funded in part by UK contributions, such material support can be dispatched at short notice to the immediate affected areas. In addition to relief items such as tents, plastic sheeting and blankets, DFID provides specialised equipment such as communications, IT material and vehicles. The UK is a member of the International Humanitarian Partnership consortium providing surge capacity to enable the United Nations to respond rapidly through the provision of specialist teams and material. DFID supports UN Search and Rescue capability through agreements with UK Fire Brigades and specialist UK non-governmental organisations (NGO)s.

UN Rapid Response

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken by his Department to improve the UN's capacity for the rapid deployment of troops for peacekeeping and peace-enforcement missions.

Jack Straw: The UK supports development of an effective rapid deployment capability in support of UN peacekeeping, and this was endorsed by the leaders of all UN member states at the World Summit in September 2005. The UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) is developing three options: the provision of a rapid deployment capability by regional organisations; the provision of a short-term capability by one or more individual countries and the cooperation arrangements between UN missions in the same region.
	Our Mission to the UN is supporting DPKO's work on all these options through provision of bilateral UK advice and participation in a consultation group of interested member states.
	We are closely involved in the development of regional rapid reaction capabilities. Within the EU, we have been at the forefront of the development of the EU's rapid response capabilities. In particular, the UK continues to take a leading role in the development of the EU Battlegroups initiative which should reach full operational capability in 2007. While an EU capability, Battlegroups can also be deployed at short notice and on a short term basis in response to a request from the UN.
	In the African Union (AU), the joint Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for International Development and the Ministry of Defence Conflict Prevention Pools are funding technical and financial assistance in setting up the AU's African Standby Force.
	Progress has also been made in the area of cooperation arrangements between UN missions. The UK has supported recent Security Council decisions authorising the immediate redeployment of a force from the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) to respond to the deteriorating security situation in Co(r)te d'lvoire, and for provision to be made within UNMIL for a rapidly deployable contingency force for security of the Sierra Leone Special Court.

Venezuela

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of (a) militarisation in Venezuela and (b) its impact on regional stability in Latin America.

Douglas Alexander: We regularly monitor military developments in Venezuela, as elsewhere in the world.
	We continually assess patterns of military procurement that may affect regional stability across the world, including in Latin America. We monitor developments closely to better inform our own case-by-case consideration of UK export license applications against the Consolidated EU and National Export Licensing Criteria. We also hold discussions on global military procurement, as appropriate, with EU colleagues and other partners.

TREASURY

Air Passenger Duty

John Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue the air passenger duty has raised in each year since its introduction.

Ivan Lewis: Information on the revenue raised from air passenger duty is available at the UK Trade Info website at:
	www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=statindex and
	www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=factindex

Asda

Ian Davidson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date meetings have taken place between his Department and representatives of Asda including Asda's parent company Wal-Mart, in the last 12 months; and if he will list the participants.

John Healey: As part of the normal process of contact with business, Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide range of individuals and organisations. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government's usual practice to provide details of all such meetings. Treasury meetings are conducted in accordance with the ministerial code and the civil service code, as appropriate.

Child Tax Credit

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many telephone calls (a) by members of the public to the child tax credit helpline and (b) by hon. Members to the MPs' child tax credit helpline were received in each month for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: (a) I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 14 March 2006, Official Report, column 2137.
	(b) I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) on 18 October 2005, Official Report, column 948W. The figures for 1 September 2005 to 31 December 2005 are given as follows.
	
		
			 2005 month Number of calls to Tax Credit Office MPs' hotline 
		
		
			 September 1,300 
			 October 1,463 
			 November 1,987 
			 December 1,613

Data Protection

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether action has been taken to strengthen the security of personal data held by HM Revenue and Customs in the last (a) month, (b) six months and (c) 12 months.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC is meeting the Cabinet Office requirement and the British Standard BS7799, for Information Security, to protect the information that it holds. HMRC Directors are responsible for the security of the data in the business systems that they own. To ensure all risks are identified, assessed and managed the Departmental Security Unit is supporting Directors with a comprehensive set of policies, strategies, assessment tools and frameworks that enable effective solutions to be identified and implemented. We are working very closely with our IT provider to ensure IT Accreditation and British standards are met with effective security controls in place.

Exchequer Losses

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the loss to the Exchequer in the next 10 years arising from the sale of (a) Pilkington Glass, (b) the British Airports Authority and (c) the British Oxygen Company.

John Healey: The Government does not speculate about or disclose information on the tax position of individual firms.

Financial Services Authority

Gregory Barker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to reform the Financial Services Authority; and what estimate he has made of the costs.

Ivan Lewis: The effectiveness of the regulatory regime for financial services was considered by the Treasury's Two-Year Review of Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA), the outcome of which was announced on 2 December 2004 and involved a number of deregulatory reforms. These reforms were accompanied by a published cost benefit analysis.
	FSMA enables the Treasury to hold an independent review of the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has used its resources in discharging its functions. As announced in the pre-Budget report 2005, the Treasury aims to hold the first such review in the near future.

Financial Services Authority

Gregory Barker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Financial Services Authority has spent on public relations in the last five years.

Ivan Lewis: This is a matter for the Financial Services Authority (FSA). I understand that the Chairman of the FSA will be writing to the hon. Member shortly.

Financial Services Industry

Gregory Barker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the regulation of the financial services industry.

Ivan Lewis: Treasury proposals to reform and improve the regulation of financial services are subject to open public consultation. Numerous representations have been made in response to these consultations. Full details are available on the Treasury's public website www.hm-treasury.gov.uk

Gas/Oil Industrial Production

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the proportion of Gross Value Added assigned to the Extra-Regio in Economic Trends 627, February 2006, which pertained to gas and oil industrial production in each year from 1992 to 2004.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 21 March 2006
	As National Statistician, I been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about estimates for each year from 1992 to 2004 of the proportion of Gross Value Added (GVA) assigned to the Extra Regio 1 in Economic Trends 627, February 2006, which pertains to gas and oil industrial production 2 . (59573).
	Estimates of proportions of total GVA accounted for by total Extra Regio GVA, and by Extra Regio GVA resulting from gas and oil production, are shown in the table. In addition the table shows the proportion of Extra Regio GVA accounted for by gas and oil production.
	The figures in the table are based on data published by the Office for National Statistics in December 2005. The table gives details of the contribution Extra Regio production makes to the UK economy, along with the equivalent part of gas and oil production.
	
		Proportions of GVA assigned to Extra Regio
		
			   Total extra Regio(50)/Total GVA Gas and oil Extra Regio(50)/Total GVA (percentage) Gas and oil Extra Regio(50)/Total Extra Regio(50) (percentage) 
		
		
			 1992 1.8 1.6 87.7 
			 1993 1.9 1.7 89.7 
			 1994 2.0 1.8 91.8 
			 1995 2.1 1.9 93.0 
			 1996 2.4 2.3 94.2 
			 1997 2.1 1.9 93.7 
			 1998 1.7 1.5 92.8 
			 1999 1.8 1.7 93.6 
			 2000 2.6 2.5 95.6 
			 2001 2.4 2.3 95.4 
			 2002 2.2 2.1 95.1 
			 2003 2.1 2.0 94.8 
			 2004 2.6 2.5 95.9 
		
	
	(50) The contribution to GVA of activities taking place on the continental shelf is included in Extra Regio, along with the elements relating to UK embassies abroad and UK forces stationed overseas. As these cannot be assigned to specific regions they are assigned as Extra Regio GVA.
	(51) Gas and oil production takes place throughout the UK continental shelf.

HM Revenue and Customs (Isle of Wight)

Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date his Department completed the equality impact assessment for the removal of processing and compliance work from the Newport, Isle of Wight office of HM Revenue and Customs; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the equality impact assessment.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC has taken a decision in principle to move processing and compliance work from the Isle of Wight in the long term. They are now in the process of completing an equality assessment to identify all the diversity issues and take them into account in final decisions about moving the work from Newport. In the meantime they are securing new accommodation in the locality to allow them the time needed to assess the position fully. However, they have already started to address the longer term staffing implications by offering early retirement to those over 50, and identifying those who are within reasonable daily travelling distance of larger offices in Southampton and Portsmouth.

Household Income

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households contained (a) no, (b) one and (c) two earners in each year since 1981.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 21 March 2006
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the number of households with zero, one and two people in employment.
	The table attached gives the required information for each year from 1992 to 2005. Comparable information for earlier years is not available.
	
		Households with zero, one and two people in employment—United Kingdom
		
			 Thousand 
			  Number of persons in household of working-age(52) who are in employment 
			 Three months ending May Zero One Two 
		
		
			 1992 3,032 5,850 6,644 
			 1993 3,271 5,909 6,745 
			 1994 3,373 6,026 6,799 
			 1995 3,419 6,053 6,878 
			 1996 3,437 6,015 6,697 
			 1997 3,265 6,073 6,891 
			 1998 3,235 6,161 6,990 
			 1999 3,157 6,203 7,057 
			 2000 3,075 6,239 7,217 
			 2001 3,062 6,336 7,246 
			 2002 3,126 6,508 7,162 
			 2003 3,035 6,545 7,226 
			 2004 3,008 6,564 7,226 
			 2005 3,068 6,531 7,313 
		
	
	(52) Working-age is defined as 16 to 64 for men and 16 to 59 for women.
	Source:
	ONS, Labour Force Survey

Landlord's Energy Savings Allowance

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the likely (a) number and (b) value of claims for Landlord's Energy Savings Allowance prior to its introduction; and how many landlords have taken up the allowance since its introduction; [R]
	(2)  how many energy efficiency measures have been installed since the Landlord's Energy Savings Allowance was launched in 2004, broken down by measure; [R]
	(3)  what steps HM Revenue and Customs is taking to improve take up of the Landlord's Energy Savings Allowance. [R]

John Healey: The cost to the Exchequer of claims for the Landlord's Energy Saving Allowance was negligible for 2004–05, and estimated at £10 million a year for 2005–06 and 2006–07 at the time of Budget 2004. Detailed figures on the total value of claims made since April 2004 are not yet available.
	The Landlord's Energy Saving Allowance can be claimed by making an entry in the appropriate box in the self-assessment tax return. Detailed information about making claims is given in the guidance notes for those returns.

Minimum Wage

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the proportion of employees earning (a) the minimum wage and (b) less than £6.50 per hour who are employed (i) directly and indirectly in the public sector, (ii) in the private sector, (iii) in the services sector and (iv) in the tradeable goods sector; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 21 March 2006
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the proportion of employees earning (a) the minimum wage and (b) less than 6.50 per hour who are employed (i) directly and indirectly in the public sector, (ii) the private sector, (iii) in the services sector and (iv) in the tradeable goods sector. (59492)
	It is not possible to identify employees who are employed indirectly in the public sector. The attached tables show employees who have a direct public sector employer only.
	The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) does not provide estimates on numbers or proportions of employees with specific levels of earnings. Therefore estimates have not been provided for numbers earning the minimum wage. However ASHE can estimate proportions of those earning under certain levels. Please find attached a table which give the relevant information for those employees earning less than £6.50 per hour.
	Average earnings are estimated from the ASHE, and are provided for full time employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence. This is the standard definition used for ASHE. The ASHE does not collect data on the self employed and people who do unpaid work.
	The ASHE, carried out in April of each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. It is a one per cent. sample of all employees who are members of pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) schemes.
	
		2005 gross hourly earnings excluding overtime (£) pay for all workers jobs(53)
		
			  Percentage of employees earning < £6.50 
		
		
			 Public Sector 12.8 
			 Private Sector 28.5 
			 Services Sector(54) 25.4 
			 Tradeable Goods Sector(55) 46.5 
		
	
	(53) Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence.
	(54) The service sector has been defined as Sections G to Q of the UK Standard Industrial Classification of Economic Activities 2003 (SIC 2003).
	(55) The tradeable goods sector has been defined as Sector G of SIC 2003—wholesale and retail trades and the repair of motor vehicles, motorcycles, and personal and household goods.
	Source:
	Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics.

Overseas Trade

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the contribution made by overseas trade to UK gross domestic product.

John Healey: The Office for National Statistics publish net trade and GDP figures in their Quarterly National Accounts. HM Treasury's assessment of the contribution of net trade to GDP is set out in the pre-Budget report 2005, and will be updated in the financial statement and Budget report, to be published on the 22 of March 2006.

Post Office Card Account

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Stroud constituency used a Post Office card account to access (a) child benefit, (b) child tax credits and (c) other tax credits in the latest period for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given on 7 March 2006, Official Report, columns 1301–02W to the hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (Danny Alexander).

Prostate Cancer

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the five year survival rate for prostate cancer patients is in each (a) region and (b) strategic health authority.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 21 March 2006
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the five year survival rate for prostate cancer patients is in each (a) region and (b) strategic health authority. (60153)
	The latest available one-year and five-year survival rates by government office region and strategic health authority for cancer of the prostate, are for adult patients diagnosed during 1995–1997 and followed up to the end of 2002. These were published on the National Statistics website on 21st April 2005, and are available at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=1199l&Pos=44&ColRank=l&Rank=272.

Small Firms

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what definition of a small firm his Department uses.

John Healey: There is no single definition of a small firm. Terms such as small firm" and SME" (small and medium-sized enterprise) are regularly used. The Department makes use of both of the most common definitions: those provided by the European Union and the Companies Act 1985. The European Commission definition is based on headcount, turnover, balance sheet total and independence criteria. The Companies Act 1985 defines small firms for the purpose of certain exemptions from accounting and auditing requirements and is not applied universally.
	These definitions can be found at http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/enterprise_policy/sme_definition/index _en.htm and http://www.dti.gov.uk/cld/audit.htm. Some policies utilise other criteria in order to target specific populations that may also fall within the definitions cited above.

Sterling Stamp Duty

John Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce a sterling stamp duty to fund international development.

Ivan Lewis: A sterling stamp duty or currency transaction taxation is a long-established idea that has re-emerged in international discussions on how to raise development financing. The Government have studied the technical implications of this proposal carefully, and after serious consideration of the proposal it has reached the view that such a tax could not be practically enforceable given the multiple avenues for avoidance, and the consequently heavy regulatory and implementation costs such a tax would require. The UK Government remain fully committed to the millennium development goals, and has set a timetable to reach the target of 0.7 per cent. Overseas Development Assistance-GNI by 2013. With the International Finance Facility, the equivalent of 0.7 per cent. ODA-GNI could be achieved as early as 2008–09.

Suicide

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of men who committed suicide in the last five years were (a) not previously married, (b) divorced, (c) married and (d) fathers.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 21 March 2006
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what proportion of men who committed suicide in the last five years were (a) not previously married, (b) divorced, (c) married and (d) fathers.
	The information on marital status at death is collected at death registration. However, this does not include any indication of whether the deceased had fathered a child.
	The most recent year for which figures are available is 2004. The table shows the proportion of deaths with a verdict of suicide or undetermined intent in men aged 16 and over by marital status, for England and Wales for the years 2000 to 2004.
	
		Proportion of deaths from suicide(56)and injury of undetermined intent(57), by marital status in men aged 16 and over, England and Wales, 2000 to 2004(58)
		
			  Single men Divorced men Married men Total no of suicide deaths 
		
		
			 2000 44.5 14.2 32.7 3,631 
			 2001 44.6 12.7 33.8 3,523 
			 2002 43.9 14.0 33.5 3,455 
			 2003 44.0 13.5 32.2 3,441 
			 2004 44.4 14.5 31.2 3,381 
		
	
	(56) The cause of death for suicide was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E950-E95 9 for 2000, and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60-X84 for the years 2001 to 2004.
	(57) The cause of death for undetermined intent was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E980-E989 excluding E988.8 for 2000 and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60-X84 excluding pending verdicts for the years 2001 to 2004.
	(58) Figures are for deaths occurring in each calendar year.

Tax Credits

Tom Levitt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in how many cases procedures for clawing back overpayments of tax credits were initiated in each of the past 12 months for which records are available in (a) High Peak constituency and (b) the UK.

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in how many cases procedures for clawing back overpayments of tax credits were initiated in (a) Mid-Bedfordshire, (b) the country of Bedfordshire and (c) the UK in each of the past 12 months for which records are available; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The latest information on the number of overpayments by constituency at April 2004 is published in Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics: Finalised Awards 2003–04—Supplement on Payments in 2003–04". This publication can be found at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-payments-0304.pdf
	This information is not yet available for 2004–05, but will be published in May 2006.
	HMRC will seek recovery of an overpayment in line with Code of Practice 26, 'What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?' The code can be found at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/leaflets/cop26.pdf

DEFENCE

Aircraft

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the Royal Air Force capability is in respect of (a) offensive and (b) defensive aircraft;
	(2)  what the Royal Air Force capability requirement is for (a) offensive and (b) defensive aircraft for (i) 2010 and (ii) 2012.

Adam Ingram: The July 2004 White Paper Delivering Security in a Changing World: Future Capabilities" (Cm 6269) set out planned force level requirements of 64 offensive support aircraft and 20 air defence fast jet aircraft. This capability is delivered largely by the Royal Air Force, though Joint Force Harrier is provided jointly by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy. There are no plans to change these force level requirements before 2012.

Armed Forces Recruitment

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recruitment initiatives have been introduced by the (a) Army, (b) Royal Air Force and (c) Royal Navy in (i) the south east of England and (ii) Hertfordshire in each year since 2002.

Don Touhig: holding answer 13 March 2006
	All three services undertake numerous and varied initiatives, both at national and local level, aimed at increasing the level of recruitment to the armed forces. It has not been possible to produce a comprehensive list of recruitment activities for the years requested but the following will give an indication of the type of initiatives undertaken.
	
		Navy
		
			 Date Location Initiative 
		
		
			 2005   
			 5–7 April Learning Skills Council/Connexions Skills Festival (Brentwood Centre) Royal Marine Visibility Team 
			 20 April Newbury Shackleton and Submarine Display Vehicles 
			 20 April Newbury Mobile Recruitment Vehicle 
			 30 April Goodwood Race Course Shackleton Display Vehicle 
			 7–9 May Independence Celebrations—Jersey Submarine Display Vehicle 
			 11 May Bedford School CCF Inspection Shackleton Display Vehicle 
			 18–19 June Thanet Air Show Royal Marine Visibility Team and Technical Display Vehicle 
			 23–24 July Littlehampton Boat Show Shackleton Display Vehicle 
			 21 August RNLI Hythe Raft Race Shackleton Display Vehicle 
			 3–4 September Shoreham Air Day Technical Display Vehicle 
			 12–16 September Guildford Schools RN School Presentation Team 
			 17–18 September Enfield Autumn Show Shackleton Display Vehicle 
			 28 September Southampton v. Reading RM Commando Display Team 
			 3–7 October Chatham Schools RN School Presentation Team 
			 6 October Careers Fair University of Surrey Recruiting Display Stand 
			 6 October Careers Fair Surrey University Guildford Recruiting Display Stand 
			 6 October Jobscene Southampton The Guildhall DNR Build 
			 8 October Jobs Opportunities Road Show Bromley Civic Hall Bromley Recruiting Display Stand 
			 10–14 October Ilford Schools RN School Presentation Team 
			 17 October Southampton Skills Quest Submarine Display Vehicle 
			 24–25 October Careers Fair University of Southampton Recruiting Display Stand 
			 31 October Portsmouth Schools RN School Presentation Team 
			 2 November Sussex University Gradfair Campus Brighton Recruiting Display Stand 
			 7–11 November Southampton Schools RN School Presentation Team 
			 7 November Careers Fair Southampton Recruiting Display Stand 
			 14–18 November Canterbury Schools RN School Presentation Team 
			 28 November Chatham Schools RN School Presentation Team 
			 November Careers Fair University of Portsmouth Recruiting Display Stand 
			 November Careers Fair University of Sussex Recruiting Display Stand 
			 5–9 December Brighton Schools RN School Presentation Team 
			
			 2006   
			 January Guildford Schools RN School Presentation Team 
			 January Surrey Skills at Sandown Park Submarine Display Vehicle 
			 January Surrey Skills at Sandown Park Technical Display Vehicle 
		
	
	
		Army
		
			 Date Location Initiative 
		
		
			 2005   
			 28–30 June Royston, Hertfordshire Briefing for Schools 
			 15–17 September Newbury Show Ground Newbury Show 2003 
			 2–3 July Aldershot (Queens Ave Playing Fields) Aldershot Aldershot Show 
			 2–8 July Bicester/Hermitage/Winchester/Worthing/Shornecliff Schools' Challenge 
			 27 June-1 July Portsmouth International Festival of the Sea 
			 17–21 October Longmoor (2 x one week courses run back to back) ATR Winchester Regional Look at Life 
			 25–29 June ATR Winchester Rugby Look at Life 
			 24–26 June ATR Winchester Football Look at Life 
			 15–25 November Arborfield/Thorney Island/Borden Army Technical Challenge 
		
	
	
		RAF
		
			 Date Location Initiative 
		
		
			 2005   
			 January   
			 14–16 Olympia Adventure Sports and Travel Show 
			 23–24 Olympia Job Scene 
			
			 February   
			 1, 3–4, 9 & 10–11 Rainham Mark Grammar, Maidstone Leisure Centre, Northfleet School for Girls and Ashford International Hotel Careers Conventions 
			 2 Gosfield School Motivational Day 
			 10 llford Town Hall Opportunities Fair 
			 11–12 — Youth Initiative 
			 13 Trafalgar Square Chinese New Year 
			 14–17 Uxbridge English Schools Football Association Camp 
			
			 March   
			 18–29 Towns around Sussex Sussex Coast Roadshow 
			 19 Alexandra Palace Connexions Job Fair 
			 March ExCEL Centre, London Careers Live 
			
			 April   
			 5–7 Brentwood Connexions Skills Festival 
			 8–10 Earls Court London Air Show 
			 12–13 University of Kent, Canterbury UCAS Careers Convention 
			 20 Newbury Newbury Rugby Fest 
			
			 May   
			 12 Biggin Hill Red Arrows 40th Birthday Party 
			 12–13 Syon Park, London Countryside Live 
			 13 RAF Museum Hendon RAF Acrobatics Team Initiative 
			 14–15 Brands Hatch Recruitment Stand 
			 16 Brighton and Hove Albion Charity 5-a-side 
			 29–30 Southend-on-Sea Southend Air Show 
			 May Brighton Bears Youth Football/Coaching Days 
			
			 June   
			 7–8 Earls Court Guardian Grad Fair 
			 8 RAF Museum Hendon Primary School Competition 
			 18–19 Palm Beach, Margate Margate Air Show 
			 18–19 Peckham Square Peckham Show 
			 22–23 Business Design Centre, Islington University London Grad Fair 
			 28 RAF Museum, Hendon Youth Challenge 
			 30 June-1 July Anglia Poly, Essex UCAS Careers Convention 
			 June Greensward College Motivational Day 
			
			 July   
			 4–10 St. James Park, London VE Day Celebrations 
			 4, 5 & 7 Hainault Forest High School and Thurstable School Motivational Days 
			 9 Olympia Asian Lifestyle Show 
			 July Imperial War Museum WWII 60th Anniversary 
			
			 August   
			 11–14 Eastbourne Airborne 2005 
			 30 August- 3 September Towns Around Kent Kent Roadshow 
			
			 September   
			 2–4 RAFM, Hendon RAF Museum Open Day 
			 17–18 Biggin Hill Aerodrome Biggin Hill Air Show 
			 22–23 Learning and Skills Council Learning and Skills Council 
			 October   
			 October Wembley MELA show 
			
			 November   
			 12 City of London Lord Mayor's Show

Armoured Vehicles

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many servicemen have been (a) killed and (b) seriously injured as a result of attacks on Warrior vehicles in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many British servicemen have been (a) killed and (b) injured in Iraq as a result of attacks on military vehicles since the start of the conflict; and how many of those injured in such attacks were discharged from the armed forces as a result of their injuries;
	(3)  how many British soldiers were (a) killed and (b) seriously injured in Iraq when travelling in (i) armoured and (ii) unarmoured Land Rovers.

Adam Ingram: 16 British soldiers have been killed when travelling in armoured Land Rovers in Iraq. Of these, two were killed in road traffic accidents and 14 died as a result of hostile action.
	Five British soldiers have been killed when travelling in unarmoured Land Rovers in Iraq. Of these, two died in a road traffic accident and three died as a result of hostile action.
	20 British servicemen have been killed as a result of attacks on military vehicles since the start of the conflict in Iraq. 14 of these were travelling in armoured Land Rovers, three were travelling in unarmoured Land Rovers, two were travelling in Warrior Armoured fighting vehicles and one was travelling in a military ambulance.
	Two British serviceman have been killed in attacks on Warrior armoured fighting vehicles in Iraq, one in August 2004 and the other in November 2004.
	Centrally available records do not allow us to give a figure for the number of British servicemen injured in unarmoured or armoured Land Rovers or attacks on military vehicles since the start of the conflict in Iraq. Nor, consequently, can we give a figure for the number discharged from the armed forces as a result of their injuries. Similarly, we do not hold information centrally on the number of British servicemen seriously injured in attacks on Warrior armoured fighting vehicles in each of the last five years.

Civil Contingency Reaction Forces

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civil contingency reaction forces there are; where each is based; and what area each covers.

Adam Ingram: There are 14 civil contingency reaction forces (CCRFs) based on the 14 Territorial Army (TA) infantry battalions spread across the United Kingdom. There are CCRF headquarters in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and London, with the majority of the remainder situated broadly within the boundaries of the English Government offices of the regions. All CCRFs are available to be mobilised for operations anywhere in the United Kingdom.

Cluster Munitions

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what quantity of cluster munitions has been recovered by the UK in (a) Kosovo, (b) Afghanistan and (c) Iraq since operations began in each place.

John Reid: holding answer 17 March 2006
	Unexploded ordnance, including sub-munitions, in all three countries are cleared both by military personnel and by a range of non-governmental organisations funded through the Department for International Development. Comprehensive records are not available but, in Iraq alone, UK armed forces have cleared well over a million items of unexploded ordnance, much of which was left over from the Iran-Iraq war or was abandoned by Iraqi military and paramilitary forces.

Courts Martial

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average time has been in each of the last five years for military personnel accused of serious offences between being charged and appearing at courts martial.

John Reid: holding answer 6 March 2006
	The following table details the average time between personnel being charged and appearing at courts martial for each of the three Services.
	
		Days
		
			  Royal Navy Army RAF 
		
		
			 2001 129 416 77 
			 2002 179 387 105 
			 2003 184 343 84 
			 2004 124 367 91 
			 2005 115 399 56 
		
	
	Figures for the RAF include all cases that go to courts martial. The Army figures include all cases of murder, manslaughter, rape, all cases under section 18 of the Offences Against The Person Act 1861 and death by dangerous driving. The Royal Navy figures include all cases of murder, rape, sexual assault, wounding with intent, unlawful wounding, grievous and actual bodily harm.
	The averages shown are heavily affected by individual cases where, for example, there may be unusual delays in obtaining evidence and also obscure wide variations between differing offences.
	We nonetheless recognise the importance of reducing timescales, and work is in hand to improve current processes and this includes measures for the Army being brought in under the Adjutant General's Court Martial Delay Action Plan. Measures in the Armed Forces Bill will help facilitate earlier liaison between Service police and Service Prosecuting Authority.

Defence Science and Technology Laboratory

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures are in place to encourage the retention of research staff within the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory; and what further measures are planned.

Adam Ingram: The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, (Dstl), offers a range of benefits appreciated by research staff. There are considerable training and development opportunities: technical training programmes are offered to develop and refresh technical knowledge, there is a Dstl Chartership Scheme accredited to eight professional institutes or societies which is open to all staff.
	Additionally, staff are allowed time off to undertake further study such as a MSc or PhD and relevant tuition fees are paid by Dstl. There are links with five universities for research purposes and to ensure that knowledge is current; these also encourage staff to spend time in each others' laboratories. Secondments are available to other areas of MOD, OGDs, UK Industry and international laboratories. There is an internal symposium held annually to encourage networking and debate on topical research areas. There is a Scheme for Technical Education and Professional Support to encourage networking, conferences and events for junior staff and a Fellowship Scheme which gives recognition to senior staff who are acknowledged as national or international experts in their field.
	Also in addition to the normal range of civil service terms and conditions, such as the civil service pension arrangements and a generous annual leave allowance, Dstl has extended its flexible working arrangements and encourages alternative working practices such as home working wherever possible. Dstl is continually reviewing working conditions for staff. At present a review is being undertaken of its internal career structure which may result in the definition of a more structured career path for staff in both research and managerial roles.
	It should be noted that both informal and formal staff surveys indicate that staff are attracted by the challenging research problems presented by Dstl and the availability of excellent scientific facilities.

Democratic Republic of Congo

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts regarding committing troops to support UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Adam Ingram: The most recent discussions took place at the EU Defence Ministers' informal meeting at Innsbruck, on 6 and 7 March this year. While no decision has yet been taken, the United Kingdom believes that the EU should consider the request for assistance from the UN favourably. Work continues on scoping the potential mission and its requirements. Due to our current heavy operational commitments we would be unable to contribute to any deployed force.

Falkland Islands

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent representations his Department has made to the Argentine Government regarding the presence of Argentine submarines in waters off the Falkland Islands.

John Reid: No Argentine submarines have been detected in the waters off the Falkland Islands.

Insurgents/Terrorists

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has made to the Law Officers, and with what outcomes, in respect of the possible prosecution of British (a) citizens and (b) residents who have (i) taken-up arms against United Kingdom or other coalition forces and (ii) trained in terrorist camps and subsequently returned to British jurisdiction.

John Reid: holding answer 16 March 2006
	No such representations have been made.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish Sir Ronnie Flanagan's report on the Iraqi Police Service.

John Reid: Sir Ronnie Flanagan's report on the Iraqi Police Service was commissioned as part of a process of internal review. As such, there are no plans to publish the final report. We will, of course, be reviewing the report's recommendations closely and will take appropriate action where necessary.

Military Support (United States)

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the equipment valued over £20,000 that is being borrowed from US forces by UK armed forces.

Adam Ingram: Details of equipment, currently in use by UK armed forces, that has been borrowed from US forces are not held centrally.
	A comprehensive listing of all equipment valued over £20,000 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Nuclear Deterrence

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  which alternative systems will be considered as options for the next generation of the nuclear deterrent in respect of (a) platforms and (b) missiles;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the cost of each main option for the next generation of the nuclear deterrent.

John Reid: No decisions have yet been taken on any replacement for Trident. Preparatory work is being undertaken by officials on possible options for the future of the UK's nuclear deterrent, including on the costs involved. This work is still at an early stage and Ministers have not yet begun to consider the position on this issue in any detail. It is therefore premature to speculate on the range of options that might be available and their potential costs.

QinetiQ

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the value is of public procurement contracts awarded to QinetiQ since December 2002.

John Reid: The total value of contracts awarded to QinetiQ by the Ministry of Defence from December 2002 to February 2006 (inclusive) was some £4,933 million. This includes the Long Term Partnering Agreement placed in February 2003, valued at £3,970 million at that time.

QinetiQ

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the advice the Government have received regarding the availability and allocation of shares in the flotation of QinetiQ.

John Reid: Advice on the approach to the offer structure and allocation of shares has been provided by our joint financial advisers to the Government, Carlyle and QinetiQ, under contractually committed confidentiality agreements.

QinetiQ

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the professional advisers who assisted in the sale of shares from QinetiQ to Carlyle; and whether any declared a potential conflict of interest.

John Reid: The Ministry of Defence's principal advisers in the Defence Evaluation Research Agency (DERA) Public Private Partnership, and in the sale of shares to Carlyle, were the accountancy Limited Liability Partnership Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC), our legal advisers Simmons & Simmons, and the Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) for investment banking advice on the actual sale. A number of other advisers were also utilised to a limited extent on specific issues, such as the Government Actuaries Department on pensions.
	A potential conflict of interest was declared by PWC when a separate part of that organisation was selected by Carlyle to advise them, but the Ministry of Defence approved the arrangement, having received all necessary assurances from PWC that appropriate firewalls were in place. PWC's involvement for the Ministry of Defence was largely confined to the pre-vesting phase of the DERA Public Private Partnership, i.e. up to summer 2001 when options were being evaluated and DERA was being re-structured and split into QinetiQ and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL). From late 2001—for the actual sale of QinetiQ, and well before Carlyle appointed PWC—MOD's financial advisers were the investment banking firm UBS. PWC did provide one person, again under strict firewalls principles, to advise MOD in the final phase to prove additional transaction advice on the accounting detail of the sale to Carlyle.

RAF Lyneham

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration has been given to the re-use of RAF Lyneham as a location for the proposed joint headquarters for the Army Land and Adjutant General.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 20 December 2005
	Only locations inside the travel to work area for most existing HQ Land and HQ Adjutant General staff are being considered for the proposed integrated headquarters. Sites outside the travel to work area, such as RAF Lyneham, have been discounted on grounds of cost, staff disruption and a greater risk of impairing operational effectiveness.
	Additionally, in terms of timing RAF Lyneham would not be available until some three years after the in service date for the new Headquarters.

Replacement Warhead (Aldermaston)

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on the reliable replacement warhead at Aldermaston; and if he will make a statement.

John Reid: There is no programme at Aldermaston to develop a new warhead.
	As we said in the 1998 Strategic Defence Review (supporting essay 5 paragraph 14"), we maintain a minimum capability at the Atomic Weapons Establishment to design and produce a replacement for the current Trident warhead, should that prove necessary. No decisions on any replacement for Trident have yet been taken.

Territorial Army

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the time for which Infantry Territorial Army personnel are called up for civil contingency reaction forces duties will count towards the compulsory 12-months' service within 36 months.

Adam Ingram: Should a reservist be mobilised to undertake civil contingency reaction forces duties, then the time spent mobilised would count towards the limits of mobilised service set by the Reserve Forces Act 1996.

Trident

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has received on US missile systems likely to be available to the United Kingdom when the existing Trident fleet is decommissioned.

John Reid: I have nothing to add to the answer that I gave previously on 21 July 2005, Official Report, column 2120W to the hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Mr. Moore).

Trident

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it is his intention that any successor to Trident should be capable of use in a sub-strategic role; and if he will make a statement.

John Reid: No decisions have yet been taken on any replacement for the Trident system. Officials have started work to prepare for these decisions, but this work is still at an early stage and Ministers have not yet begun to consider the position in any detail. It is therefore rather too early to speculate on the likely conclusions of this work.

Veterans Day

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 13 March 2006, Official Report, column 1951W on veterans, if he will list the potential stakeholders to whom he refers; on what dates significant consultation occurred; and what the consultation method was employed.

Don Touhig: holding answer 20 March 2006
	Stakeholders were formally briefed on evolving thinking and their views sought at Veterans Executive Steering Group Meetings on 11 October 2005 and 17 January 2006, and at the meeting of the Veterans Forum on 6 December 2005. Those organisations represented at one or more of these meetings included the following ex-service organisations:
	Confederation of British Service and Ex-Service Organisations
	Army Benevolent Fund
	Combat Stress
	Forces Pension Society
	King George's Fund For Sailors
	Royal Air Force Association
	SSAFA Forces Help
	St. Dunstans
	The Royal British Legion
	Veterans Scotland
	War Widows' Association
	Representatives from BLESMA, the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund and the Royal Naval Association were also invited to the Veterans Forum, were unable to attend, but received the minutes of the meeting.
	Representatives from the following Devolved administrations or Government Departments attended the meeting:
	Department of Constitutional Affairs
	Department of Health
	HM Treasury
	Home Office
	National Assembly for Wales
	Northern Ireland Executive
	Scotland Office
	Scottish Executive
	Representatives from the Department for Culture Media and Sport, Department for Education and Skills, Department for Work and Pensions, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Local Government Association, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Welsh Office were also invited to attend the Veterans Forum, were unable to attend, but received the minutes of the meeting.
	There have also been informal consultations with a number of these stakeholders where the specific issue has required this.